The Saint Laurent Nuclear Power Station is located in the commune of Saint-Laurent-Nouan in Loir-et-Cher on the Loire River – 28 km downstream from Blois and 30 km upstream from Orléans.

The site includes two operating pressurized water reactors (each 900MWe), which began operation in 1983. They are cooled by the water of the Loire River.

Two other UNGG reactors used to exist at the site, which were brought into service in 1969 and 1971 and were retired in April 1990 and June 1992.

The site employs approximately 670 regular workers.

Incidents in Saint Laurent Nuclear Power Plant

On October 17, 1969 50 kg of uranium in one of the gas cooled reactors began to melt. This event was classified at 4 on the International Nuclear Event Scale (INES), and is, as of March 2011, the most serious civil nuclear power accident in France.

On March 13, 1980 there was some annealing that occurred in the graphite of one of the reactors, causing a brief heat excursion. This was also classified as 4 on the INES and has been called the worst nuclear accident in France. Much later, the Institute of Marine Biochemistry at the École normale supérieure de Montrouge claimed that they found traces of plutonium in the river which they believed was released in the 1980 or 1969 accident many years ago.

Flood risk

The initial report following the 1999 Blayais Nuclear Power Plant flood, identified the Saint-Laurent plant as being at risk of flooding, and called for its safety measures to be re-examined. Plans to build a flood wall around the site were made but abandoned, it is thought, due the cost.

Saint-Laurent Nuclear Power Plant
Official name	Centrale Nucléaire de Saint-Laurent
Country	France
Locale	Saint-Laurent-Nouan
Status	Operational
Construction began	1963
Commission date	March 24, 1969 (Saint-Laurent A) (Saint-Laurent B)
Decommission date	1990 (Saint-Laurent A-1) 1991 (Saint-Laurent A-2)
Operator(s)	EDF
Constructor(s)	GTM
Reactor information
Reactors operational	2 x 956 MW
Reactors decom.	1 x 390 MW 1 x 450 MW
Reactor type(s)	GCR (retired) PWR
Reactor supplier(s)	Framatome
Turbine information
Manufacturer(s)	Alstom
Power generation information
Installed capacity	1,912 MW
Annual generation	12,918 GW·h
Net generation	363,287 GW·h

The Nogent Nuclear Power Plant is located in the French commune of Nogent-sur-Seine, on the right bank of the Seine, in the west of the Aube department. It is located 60 kilometres (37 mi) to the west of Troyes and 120 kilometres (75 mi) south-east of Paris.

The Nogent Nuclear Power Plant houses two reactors each of 1300 MWe and the site has a total area of 100 hectares. Each reactor has its own cooling tower 165 metres (541 ft) high.

It produces about a third of the yearly electricity consumption of Île-de-France and employs around 700 regular workers.

Events in Nogent Nuclear Power Plant

• A fire drill on October 2, 2001 by the Nuclear Safety Authority of France confirmed that it took about 50 minutes between the time of the drill the time the second team responded.
• On September 30, 2005, water was accidentally sprayed on electrical cabinets; the reactor was automatically stopped. Nobody was injured and there were no radiation releases. It was classified as 1 on the INES scale.

Nogent Nuclear Power Plant
Official name	Centrale Nucléaire de Nogent
Country	France
Locale	Nogent-sur-Seine
Coordinates	48°30′55″N 03°31′04″E / 48.51528°N 3.51778°E / 48.51528; 3.51778 / 48.51528; 3.51778
Status	Operational
Construction began	1981
Commission date	October 21, 1987 (October 21, 1987)
Operator(s)	EDF
Turbine information
Manufacturer(s)	Alstom
Power generation information
Installed capacity	2,726 MW
Annual generation	19,331 GW·h
Net generation	304,690 GW·h

The Golfech Nuclear Power Plant is located in the commune of Golfech (Tarn-et-Garonne), on the border Garonne between Agen (30 km downstream) and Toulouse (90 km upstream) on the Garonne River, from where it gets cooling water, and approximately 40 km west of Montauban.

The Golfech Nuclear Power Plant has two operating nuclear reactors that are both Pressurized water reactors and of the French P'4 design. The plant also has two cooling towers that gets water from the Garonne River, but it only takes water to compensate for evaporation, the cooling loop is closed and water is never released back into the river.

In 2002 the plant produced nearly half of the electricity used in the area. It employs nearly 700 full time workers.

In 1965, the Midi-Pyrénées announced intention to construct a nuclear plant near Malause. EDF then went about securing a site for the station. In 1967 a board of inquiry initially laid out plans for two UNGG reactors with an output of 800 MWe each.

During falling Petroleum prices and conflicts between EDF and CEA, the project was delayed to be decided between 1967 and 1969. In 1969 after the leaving of Charles de Gaulle, CEA gave up on the UNGG plans.

In 1973, a nearby hydroelectric plant of 63 MW is finished and the regional manager for EDF announces plans for PWRs at the site to be finished by 1985.

In 1978, EDF announces that Golfech will be the site for 4 PWRs eventually of 1300 MWe each.

On June 17, 1979, 5000 protesters walked on the future site and released balloons.

These are all 1 on the INES scale and occurred in 1998.

• on September 28 at the time of a check operation of the measuring equipment of the neutron flux in the middle of the reactor, the operator did not respond to one of the signals that should have been investigated.
• on November 4 the Autorité de sûreté nucléaire discovered that on October 14, EDF ran the reactor with an overpower of 7% for 30 hours.
• on November 27 the containment building is evacuated following the release of an alarm of atmospheric detection of radioactivity. Ten workers are slightly contaminated.

The Penly Nuclear power plant (Centrale nucléaire de Penly) is found some 6 miles (9.7 km) northeast of Dieppe. It lies on the border of two French municipalities: Penly and Saint-Martin-en-Campagne in the département of Seine-Maritime, Normandy, on the English Channel coast.

The Penly Nuclear power plant employs about 670 full time people and is owned and operated by the French company Électricité de France (EDF). Water from the English Channel is used for cooling.

The two PWR units are of the 1330 MWe class. The installed total output is 2764 MW, which means the plant is about average for French nuclear plants. It feeds on average about 18 billion kilowatt-hours per year into the public grid, corresponding to about 80% of the current annual consumption of Normandy. It is about ten kilometres from Dieppe.

In January 2009, the French government announced that a third reactor, the second French EPR reactor, would be built in Penly. Construction was announced for 2012 with connection to the grid following in 2017. GDF Suez is to own a part of the plant, with the majority taken by EdF.

The Flamanville Nuclear Power Plant is located at Flamanville, Manche, France on the Cotentin Peninsula.

It houses two pressurized water reactors (PWRs) that produce 1300 MWe each and came into service in 1986 and 1987, respectively. It produced 18.9 TWh in 2005, which amounted to 4% of the electricity production in France. In 2006 this figure was about 3.3%.

Construction of Flamanville Nuclear Power Plant began on a new reactor, Flamanville 3, on 4 December 2007. The new unit is an Areva European Pressurized Reactor type and is planned to produce 1650 MWe from 2012 to 2072. EdF will invest some Eur 3.3 billion ($4.8 billion) during the construction phase.

In 2006, before the start of construction of unit 3, there were 671 workers regularly working at the two operational reactors.

EDF has previously said France’s first EPR will cost 4 billion euros and start commercial operations in 2013. The estimated cost has now increased to 5 billion euros ($6.5 billion) with an unspecified delay to the planned start.

Flamanville Nuclear Power Plant
Official name	Centrale Nucléaire de Flamanville
Country	France
Locale	Flamanville, Manche
Coordinates	49°32′11″N 1°52′54″W / 49.53639°N 1.88167°W / 49.53639; -1.88167 / 49.53639; -1.88167
Status	Operational
Construction began	1979
Commission date	December 4, 1985 (December 4, 1985) 2014 (Flamanville 3 scheduled)
Operator(s)	EDF
Constructor(s)	Bouygues
Turbine information
Manufacturer(s)	Alstom
Power generation information
Installed capacity	2,764 MW
Annual generation	17,917 GW·h
Net generation	331,816 GW·h

The Chooz Nuclear Power Station (Centrale nucléaire de Chooz) lies in the municipality of Chooz in the Ardennes department, France, on the Meuse close to the border with Belgium, between the French city of Charleville-Mézières and the Belgian municipality of Dinant.

The first reactor Chooz A, an early PWR design, was shut down in 1991 after an operational life of 22 years.

Two units of the N4 reactor design are currently operation, Chooz B1 and Chooz B2. Designed for a net power output of 1450 MWe, power was uprated to 1500 MWe in 2003.

A fourth nuclear reactor, of the EPR type, is under study by EDF.

The Chooz Nuclear Power Station employs around 700 full time workers.

The Chooz Nuclear Power Station reactors were a source of neutrinos for the CHOOZ neutrino oscillation experiment; a new experiment, Double CHOOZ, is currently under construction nearby.

Chooz Nuclear Power Plant
Official name	Centrale Nucléaire de Chooz
Country	France
Locale	Chooz, Ardennes
Coordinates	50°5′24″N 4°47′22″E / 50.09°N 4.78944°E / 50.09; 4.78944 / 50.09; 4.78944
Status	Operational
Construction began	1960
Commission date	April 15, 1967 (April 15, 1967)
Decommission date	1991 (Chooz A)
Operator(s)	EDF
Developer(s)	Societé d'Energie Nucleaire Franco-Belge des Ardennes
Constructor(s)	Bouygues
Reactor information
Reactors operational	2 x 1560 MW
Reactors decom.	1 x 320 MW
Reactor type(s)	PWR
Reactor supplier(s)	Framatome
Turbine information
Manufacturer(s)	Alstom
Power generation information
Installed capacity	3,120 MW
Annual generation	19,306 GW·h
Net generation	195,081 GW·h
As of 10 November 2010

Reactors

Unit	Type	Net power	Total power
Chooz - A (Ardennes)	PWR	310 MW	320 MW
Chooz - B 1	PWR	1500 MW	1560 MW
Chooz - B 2	PWR	1500 MW	1560 MW

The Civaux Nuclear Power Plant is located in the commune of Civaux (Vienne) at the edge of Vienne River between Confolens (55 km upstream) and Chauvigny (16 km downstream), and 34 km south-east of Poitiers.

Civaux Nuclear Power Plant has two operating units that were the precursors to the European Pressurized Reactor, being the "N4 stage". Designed for a net power output of 1450 MWe per unit, power was uprated to 1495 MWe in 2003. Water from the Vienne River is used for cooling.

As of 2004, 692 people work at the plant, with 12.9% women.

On May 12, 1998 there was a leak on an elbow in a pipe of the RCS. Water leaked out at the rate of 30 cubic meters per hour. It was classified as 2 on the INES scale.

REACTORS

Unit	Type	Net power	Total power	Commercial operation
CIVAUX-1	PWR	1495 MW	1561 MW	2002/01/29
CIVAUX-2	PWR	1495 MW	1561 MW	2002/04/23

Civaux Nuclear Power Plant
Official name	Centrale Nucléaire de Civaux
Country	France
Locale	Civaux (Vienne)
Coordinates	46°27′24″N 0°39′10″E / 46.45667°N 0.65278°E / 46.45667; 0.65278 / 46.45667; 0.65278
Status	Operational
Construction began	1988
Commission date	2002
Operator(s)	EDF
Constructor(s)	Bouygues
Reactor information
Reactors operational	2 x 1561 MW
Reactor type(s)	PWR
Reactor supplier(s)	Framatome
Turbine information
Manufacturer(s)	Alstom
Power generation information
Installed capacity	3,122 MW
Annual generation	21,458 GW·h
Net generation	130,417 GW·h

The Bugey Nuclear Power Station is located in Bugey in the Saint-Vulbas commune (Ain), about 30 km from the Swiss border. The site occupies 100 hectares. It is on the edge of the Rhône River, from where it gets its cooling water, and is about 30 km upstream from Lyon. About 1,200 people work at the site.

The site houses 4 currently operating units, all being pressurized water reactors. The 5th reactor (unit 1) is currently being dismantled, it was the last UNGG reactor built in the world.

Some of the cooling comes from direct use of the Rhône water (units 2 and 3) while some is done by the use of cooling towers (units 4 and 5).

Seismic activity

According to reports from the Autorité de sûreté nucléaire, some safety functions may not be provided in the event of an earthquake, however The area is not known for its seismic activity.

In the last few years, the plant was modernized to updated earthquake resistance standards.

Heat dumping

During the heat wave on July 20, 2003 water was directly dumped into the Rhône, which is permitted in extreme cases, for about 2 hours and the maximum heat difference was 0.9 degrees Celsius. Again on July 30, 2003 water was directly discharged into the Rhône for 9 hours.

Reactor units of Bugey Nuclear Power Plant

Reactor Unit	Type	Average Output	Rated Power	Commercial operation	Close of reactor
Bugey 1	Gas-cooled reactor	540 MW	555 MW	01-07-1972	27-05-1994
Bugey 2	PWR	910 MW	945 MW	01-03-1979	2019 planned
Bugey 3	PWR	910 MW	945 MW	01-03-1979	2019 planned
Bugey 4	PWR	880 MW	917 MW	01-07-1979	2019 planned
Bugey 5	PWR	880 MW	917 MW	30-01-1980	2020 planned

Bugey Nuclear Power Plant
Country	France
Coordinates	45°47′54″N 5°16′15″E / 45.79833°N 5.27083°E / 45.79833; 5.27083Coordinates: 45°47′54″N 5°16′15″E / 45.79833°N 5.27083°E / 45.79833; 5.27083
Construction began	1964
Commission date	April 15, 1972
Owner(s)	EDF
Operator(s)	EDF
Reactor information
Reactors operational	3,724 MW capacity
Reactors decomm.	555 MW capacity
Power generation information
Annual generation	25,654 GWh
Net generation	645,711 GWh

The Chinon Nuclear Power Plant (French: Centrale nucléaire de Chinon) is near the town of Avoine in the French Indre et Loire département, on the Loire river (approximately 10km from the town of Chinon). The power station has seven reactors, of which three are now closed.

The nuclear power station employs approximately 1,350 full time workers. The operator is the French company Électricité de France (EDF).

The site housed three of the first generation of French plants of a Magnox-type (UNGG) design. Since then, four of the first French PWR series have been built. The site uses four cooling towers that were built with a low profile for the specific purpose of not blocking the views of the Loire.

The Chinon Nuclear Power Plant is on the large side for a French plant. It feeds approximately 6% of the national electricity demand of France.

Chinon Nuclear Power Plant Reactors

Unit	Type	Net power	Total power	Construction start	Commercial operation	Shut down
Chinon A1	Magnox-Reactor	70 MW	80 MW	01.02.1957	01.02.1964	16.04.1973
Chinon A2	Magnox-Reactor	210 MW	230 MW	01.08.1959	24.02.1965	14.06.1985
Chinon A3	Magnox-Reactor	480 MW	480 MW	01.03.1961	04.08.1966	15.06.1990
Chinon B1	PWR	905 MW	954 MW	01.03.1977	01.02.1984	2024 planned
Chinon B2	PWR	905 MW	954 MW	01.03.1977	01.08.1984	2024 planned
Chinon B3	PWR	905 MW	954 MW	01.10.1980	04.03.1987	2027 planned
Chinon B4	PWR	905 MW	954 MW	01.02.1981	01.04.1988	2028 planned

Chinon Nuclear Power Plant
Data
Country	France
Operator	EDF
Built	1957
Start of commercial operation	February 1, 1964
Reactors
Reactors active	4 (3,816 MW)
Reactors shut down	3 (790 MW)
Power
Total power generation in 2006	23,925 GW·h
Average annual generation (last 5 yrs)	24,056 GW·h
Net generation	555,762 GW·h

The Tricastin Nuclear Power Center is a collection of sites run by Areva and EDF located in 4 different communes Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux and Pierrelatte in Drôme, Bollène and Lapalud in Vaucluse, and four departments (Drome (26), Vaucluse (84), Gard (30) and Ardeche (07)) on right bank of the Channel of Donzère-Mondragon (diversion canal of the Rhone River) between Valence (70 km upstream) and Avignon (65 km downstream).

The site houses 4 Pressurized water reactors of 915 MW each, which were built mostly in the 70s and brought online in the early 80s. These reactors produce about 25 TWh/year, or 6% of France's electricity, but about 2/3rds of that goes right back into the Eurodif Uranium enrichment factory. The close proximity of the power source and usage of the power allows for smaller transmission losses to occur, which is done at 225 kV.

Spent fuel is transported by train to the reprocessing plant, just as the new fuel is transported to the plant by train.

Fire response

Tests on July 2, 2004 by the Autorité de sûreté nucléaire (Nuclear Safety Authority) confirmed that response to a fire would take a time of 37 minutes.

Cooling water

During the 2003 European heat wave from July 12 to July 22, the maximum dumping temperature of 27°C into the canal was exceeded on several occasions, totalling about 44 hours.

Incidents

In July 2008, 18,000 liters (4,755 Gallons) of Uranium solution containing natural uranium were accidentally released. Due to cleaning and repair work the containment system for a uranium solution holding tank was not functional when the tank filled. The inflow exceeded the tank's capacity and 30 cubic meters of Uranium solution leaked with 18 cubic meters spilled to the ground. Testing found elevated uranium levels in the nearby Gaffière and Lauzon rivers. The liquid that escaped to the ground contained about 75 kg of unenriched uranium which is toxic as a heavy metal while possessing only slight radioactivity. Estimates for the releases were initially higher, up to 360 kg of natural uranium, but revised downward later. Ground and surface water tests indicated that levels of radioactivity were 5% higher than the maximum rate allowed. In the near vicinity and above ground, the local watchdog group CRIIRAD has detected unusually high levels of radiation.

French authorities have banned the use of water from the Gaffière and Lauzon for drinking and watering of crops. Swimming, water sports and fishing were also banned. This incident has been classified as Level 1 on the International Nuclear Event Scale.

In July 2008, approximately 100 employees were exposed to radioactive particles that escaped from a pipe in a reactor that had been shut down. Additionally, a nuclear waste leak that apparently had remained undiscovered since 2005 spilled into a concrete protective shell in Romans-sur-Isere. Areva, who owns the site, ensured that the leak had not caused harm to the environment, but the issue sparked discussion about an old French army terrain, where nuclear waste was deposited in shielded dumps. The layer of dirt covering the waste is reported to have been thinned due to wind and rain erosion, directly exposing nuclear waste material to open air. Also, the speed with which the Tricastin incident was reported to the Autorité de sûreté nucléaire (8 hours) and subsequently to local authorities (another 6 hours) is subject of ongoing discussions. The European Commissioner Andris Piebalgs may send inspectors to the sites to investigate recent events further.

Other implications following the incidents resulted in a drop in the sale of wines from the Tricastin area. Acting on the wishes of the wine growers to change the name of the appellation to something without "Tricastin", to avoid being associated with the nuclear power plant, in June 2010, INAO signalled its intention to allow a name change from Coteaux du Tricastin AOC to Grignan-Les Adhemar effective from the 2010 vintage.

The Cruas Nuclear Power Station is a Nuclear power plant located in Cruas and Meysse communes, Ardèche next to the Rhône River in France. The site is 35km north of Tricastin Nuclear Power Center and near the town of Montélimar.

The site contains 4 pressurized water reactors of 900 MW each, totaling 3600 MW total. The construction began in 1978, the reactors were built between 1983 and 1984.

The power station accounts for 4 to 5% of the electric energy production in France, and 40% of the annual usage by the Rhone-Alps area. The site employs about 1,200 workers and has an area of 148 hectares. Cooling water comes from the Rhône river.

On 1 December 2009 reactor 4 was shut down after vegetation blocked the intake of the cooling system. The nuclear safety authority Autorité de sûreté nucléaire (ASN) classified the incident as level 2 on the International Nuclear Event Scale

In 1991 it was decided by the owners of the plant to carry out a Mural project on the cooling towers focusing on the topic of ecology. Author of the mural on the Tignes dam, Jean-Marie Pierret was selected to design the painting, 9 mountaineers helped to actually paint the structure. The painting reflects the basics of Water and Air and is titled Aquarius, and was inaugurated in 2005. It took 8,000 working hours and 4,000 liters of paint to complete the project.

Cruas Nuclear Power Plant
Data
Country	France
Operator	EDF
Built	1978
Start of commercial operation	April 29, 1983
Reactors
Reactors active	4 (3,824 MW)
Power
Total power generation in 2006	23,241 GW·h
Average annual generation (last 5 yrs)	24,244 GW·h
Net generation	513,867 GW·h

The Cattenom Nuclear Power Station is located in Lorraine in the Cattenom commune, France on the Moselle River between Thionville (10 km upstream) and Trier (80 km downstream). It is close to the towns of Luxembourg (35 km) and Metz (40 km).

The site consists of 4 Pressurized Water Reactors that were all built between 1979 and 1991 and have an electric output of 1300 MW each. The plant is a relatively modern and large nuclear power station. In 2006 it produced the third most electricity (34 TWh) of the nuclear plants in France behind Gravelines (34.4 TWh) and Paluel (34.9 TWh).

The plant employs about 1200 regular employees and about 1000 more during outage times.

The station received its ISO 14001 certification in 2005, and should have its ISO 9001 and OHSAS 18001 in 2007.

The site uses 4 separate cooling towers which uses water from the Moselle. Additionally, a water reserve on site, Lake Mirgenbach, was created. In 1985 an artificial lake was also created in the Pierre-Percée valley in the Vosges Mountains. The creation of this lake has led to the flooding of the subterranean portions of Ouvrage Kobenbusch, part of the Maginot Line.

During the 2003 European heat wave it was permitted to dump the water used for cooling directly into the Moselle river. The heating of the water in these cases is limited to 1.5 degrees Celsius by prefectoral decree. Heating to 2.2 degrees was accidentally caused once.

• In March 2001, the reactor building of Unit 3 was evacuated with 131 people, apparently due to a false alarm. No one was hurt and there were no radiation releases.

There were several incidents involving casualties, the latest being

• On March 12, 2008, an employee was exposed to about 1/20 of the annual maximum allowed dose.
• Eight workers were exposed to radiation in March 2005.

This list is not meant to be complete. The references include the official ASN list which names 88 events between march 2000 and march 2008.

The area around Cattenom has been found to be very low risk of earthquakes by the Ministry for Ecology.

Cattenom Nuclear Power Plant
Nuclear Power Station Cattenom
Data
Country	France
Operator	EDF
Built	1979
Start of commercial operation	November 13, 1986
Reactors
Reactors active	4 (5,448 MWth)
Power
Total power generation in 2006	34,084 GW·h
Average annual generation (last 5 yrs)	35,547 GW·h
Net generation	583,422 GW·h