Giant jellyfish invasion halts operations at France's largest nuclear facility
Jellyfish Bloom Shuts Down French Nuclear Power Plant, Affecting Millions
In a surprising turn of events, the Gravelines nuclear power plant in France has been forced to shut down due to a massive jellyfish bloom clogging the cooling systems. The event occurred late Sunday, causing three reactors to automatically halt, with a fourth reactor going offline soon after.
The warm summer waters lingering in the North Sea have been attracting these gelatinous troublemakers, and plant operators and marine scientists are watching closely for the next unpredictable wave. The Gravelines plant draws its cooling water from a canal connected to the North Sea, home to several jellyfish species that thrive in warmer summer waters.
Scientists warn that climate change, overfishing, and shifts in marine ecosystems may be fuelling more frequent and intense jellyfish blooms. Fewer natural predators, such as sea turtles, and human-driven changes to the ocean environment could create the perfect conditions for swarms to thrive and drift towards shorelines.
The repeated problems caused by sudden jellyfish influxes have prompted scientists at the University of Bristol to develop an "early warning tool" to predict the en masse appearance of swarms that could threaten power generation. This tool could prove invaluable in mitigating the impact of future blooms.
The jellyfish invasion did not affect the safety of the facilities, staff, or the environment, but it halted power to about 5 million homes. However, electricity exports from France to the UK remained unchanged despite the shutdown. Two other reactors had already been taken down for scheduled summer maintenance.
In addition to the Gravelines nuclear power plant, jellyfish have temporarily shut down both nuclear and coal plants in Sweden, the US, and Japan. A massive bloom in the Philippines in 1999 forced a power station offline, causing a major blackout. Most recently, workers at eastern China's largest coal-fired power plant fought for 10 days to clear more than 150 tonnes of jellyfish from its cooling systems in September last year.
While the jellyfish species involved in the bloom is not specified, it serves as a reminder of the unpredictable and far-reaching effects of changes in our marine ecosystems. EDF, the French state-owned energy company, described the invasion as "massive and unpredictable." For now, EDF says Gravelines will remain offline until the jellyfish are cleared, and the cooling water systems are restored.
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