Massive Jellyfish Swarm Forces Shutdown Of France’s Biggest Nuclear Plant – What To Know

Four reactors at France’s Gravelines nuclear power plant were shut down late Sunday after a massive influx of jellyfish clogged the facility’s cooling water filters on Monday. The shutdown, likely linked to warming sea temperatures driven by climate change, temporarily halted operations at the entire plant.

Automatic Shutdown Of Gravelines Nuclear Power Plant Reactors 

EDF said reactors 2, 3, and 4 automatically went offline just before midnight when “massive and unpredictable” numbers of jellyfish blocked filter drums at the plant’s pumping stations. Reactor 6 followed a few hours later.

The company emphasised that the incident posed no risk to plant safety, staff, or the surrounding environment.

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Marine biologists attribute such blooms to warming oceans and invasive species.

“Jellyfish breed faster when water is warmer, and in areas like the North Sea, the reproductive window is getting wider and wider,” said Derek Wright, a marine biology consultant with the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries told Euro News.

Invasive Asian Moon Jellyfish Under Scrutiny

The Asian Moon jellyfish, native to the Pacific Northwest, was first detected in the North Sea in 2020 and has been linked to similar nuclear plant disruptions in China, Japan, and India. It thrives in still, plankton-rich waters such as ports and canals and spreads globally by riding in the ballast tanks of large vessels.

Although the jellyfish near Gravelines lack a poisonous sting and pose no direct threat to humans, they remain a serious hazard to coastal infrastructure.

“Everyone talks about nuclear being clean, but we don’t think about the unintended consequences of heat pollution,” Wright noted. “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.”

Gravelines Nuclear Power Plant And Jellyfish Shutdowns

Gravelines, one of France’s largest nuclear facilities, houses six reactors, each generating 900 megawatts for a total output of 5.4 gigawatts. The plant draws cooling water from a canal connected to the North Sea, an area that has seen steadily growing jellyfish populations in recent years due to warming waters and invasive species spread.

Jellyfish-related shutdowns have occurred worldwide for more than a decade. In 2011, plants in Israel, Japan, and Scotland were forced offline, followed by a similar incident in Sweden in 2013.

According to the Oceanic Invertebrate Research Institute, such events are becoming increasingly frequent due to overfishing, climate change, and expanding coastal development.

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