French nuclear fleet output drops to 59% of full capacity

On Wednesday, August 12, French nuclear reactors operated at 59% of full capacity, according to RTÉ grid data and Bloomberg calculations, down 1 percentage point from 60% on Tuesday, August 11. EDF, the world's largest nuclear power operator, currently has 34 reactors in operation with a total available capacity of 33,250 MW; France's 57 nuclear reactors normally supply more than two-thirds of the country's electricity. EDF recently halted power generation at the Gravelines 2 and Bugey 3 reactors, while extending the outage of the Gravelines 3 and 4 units and the Cattenom 4 reactor...

2026-08-13

Three units at France's Gravelines nuclear power plant automatically shut down due to jellyfish intrusion

French utility EDF recently stated on its website that three units at the Gravelines nuclear power plant in northern France automatically shut down after a large influx of jellyfish clogged the filtration system, triggering safety measures. The statement indicated that the incident occurred on August 10, 2026. Due to the jellyfish intrusion, three units at the Gravelines plant automatically shut down, while a fourth unit reduced its power output. The plant has a total of six reactors, of which the fifth reactor had already been shut down for planned maintenance, and the sixth reactor remained in operation. The Gravelines plant experienced a similar situation a year earlier, when a large number of jellyfish entered the relevant water intake and filtration systems, causing four reactors to automatically shut down...

2026-08-12