Four reactors at France’s Gravelines nuclear power plant, located along the English Channel, were temporarily shut down over the weekend after a swarm of jellyfish threatened to clog critical water intake systems.
According to the plant’s operator, several of the facility’s production units went offline after jellyfish were detected in the filter drums of the plant’s pumping stations.
The French multinational electric utility company said the pumping stations, located in the non-nuclear section of the site, supply cooling water essential for the facility’s operation.
“They had no impact on the safety of the facilities, the safety of personnel, or the environment,” EDF said in a statement .
The Gravelines nuclear power plant is one of the largest nuclear facilities in Western Europe