2 days ago
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Jellyfish person unopen down 4 reactors astatine France's largest atomic powerfulness plant.
The swarm entered the filter drums of the pumping stations astatine the Gravelines tract successful bluish France connected Sunday night.
Operator EDF confirmed to Sky News that the "massive and unpredictable beingness of jellyfish" caused units 2, 3 and 4 to automatically unopen down betwixt 11pm and midnight connected 10 August.
Unit 6 past unopen down conscionable aft 6am connected Monday 11 August.
The plant, situated connected the seashore betwixt Calais and Dunkirk, has six units which tin nutrient a full of 5.4 gigawatts of power.
In a statement, EDF said the pumping stations affected are successful the non-nuclear portion of the plant, adding the shutdowns "had nary interaction connected the information of the facility, the information of unit oregon the environment".
The site, which tin powerfulness astir 5 cardinal homes, has temporarily stopped accumulation portion teams effort to wide the blockage.
Two unaffected units had already been taken offline for maintenance.
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A spokesperson said France is inactive exporting much than 4 gigawatts of energy to the UK.
A roar successful jellyfish numbers has been reported successful the oversea astir Calais, apt owed to rising h2o temperatures and increases successful the plankton they eat.
"Jellyfish breed faster erstwhile h2o is warmer, and due to the fact that areas similar the North Sea are becoming warmer, the reproductive model is getting wider and wider," said Derek Wright, marine biology advisor astatine the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries.
"Jellyfish tin besides hitch rides connected tanker ships, entering the ships' ballast tanks successful 1 larboard and often getting pumped retired into waters halfway crossed the globe," helium said.
The Gravelines tract draws h2o for its cooling systems from a canal connected to the North Sea, which is location to respective taxon of jellyfish.
The invertebrates person besides been liable for problems astatine respective different coastal powerfulness stations, including the Torness atomic works successful Scotland, wherever they person clogged the h2o intake pipes aggregate times.
In 1999, jellyfish were blamed for causing a monolithic blackout successful the Philippines.
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