Four reactors at France’s Gravelines nuclear energy plant have been shut down late Sunday due to a swarm of jellyfish in the cooling systems, operator EDF mentioned on Monday, doubtless due to rising water temperatures as a result of of world warming.
The plant in northern France is one of the most important in the nation and cooled from a canal linked to the North Sea. Its six models produce 900 megawatts of energy every, or 5.4 gigawatts in complete.
The complete plant has now briefly halted manufacturing as the opposite two models are offline for deliberate upkeep, EDF information confirmed.
The seashores round Gravelines, between the most important cities of Dunkirk and Calais, have seen a rise in jellyfish in current years due to warming waters and the introduction of invasive species.
“Jellyfish breed faster when water is warmer, and because areas like the North Sea are becoming warmer, the reproductive window is getting wider and wider,” mentioned Derek Wright, marine biology guide on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries.
“Jellyfish can also hitch rides on tanker ships, entering the ships’ ballast tank in one port and often getting pumped out into waters halfway across the globe,” he mentioned.
An invasive species often called the Asian Moon jellyfish, native to the Pacific Northwest, was first sighted in the North Sea in 2020.
The species, which prefers nonetheless water with excessive ranges of animal plankton like ports and canals, has prompted related issues in ports and at nuclear crops in China, Japan and India.
“Everyone talks about nuclear being clean but we don’t think about the unintended consequences of heat pollution,” Derek mentioned.
EDF didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.
Reactors 2, 3, and 4 at Gravelines stopped routinely simply earlier than midnight when the filter drums of the pumping stations turned full of a “massive and unpredictable” swarm of jellyfish, and reactor 6 went offline a number of hours later, the EDF discover mentioned.
The occasion didn’t have an effect on the protection of the services, workers or the atmosphere, it mentioned.
The nuclear plant can also be close to seashores which have develop into hotspots for migrants making an attempt to cross into Britain. The invasive jellyfish are usually not thought-about a menace, as they don’t have a toxic sting.