Blayais Nuclear Power Plant

Blayais Nuclear Power Plant
Location of Blayais Nuclear Power Plant within France
Official name	Centrale nucléaire du Blayais
Country	France
Location	Blaye
Coordinates	45°15′21″N 0°41′35″W / 45.25583°N 0.69306°W / 45.25583; -0.69306Coordinates: 45°15′21″N 0°41′35″W / 45.25583°N 0.69306°W / 45.25583; -0.69306
Construction began	1976
Commission date	June 12, 1981
Operator(s)	EDF
Reactor information
Reactors operational	4 x 951 MW
Reactor type(s)	PWR
Power generation information
Installed capacity	3,804 MW
Annual generation	26,569 GW·h
Net generation	570,665 GW·h
As of 11 November 2010

The Blayais Nuclear Power Plant is a nuclear plant on the banks of the Gironde estuary near Blaye, South Western France operated by Électricité de France.

Description

The power plant has 4 nuclear reactors of PWR technology – pressurized water reactors – producing 951 MW each. They were commissioned from 1981 to 1983. The plant has 1200 EDF employees and 350 permanent workers.^{[citation needed]}

The four reactors produce about 27 TWh per year which totals to 1.5 times more than the electricity needs of the Aquitaine region. Since its commissioning, the Blayais nuclear power plant has produced more than 500 TWh, the equivalent of the French electricity production in one year.^{[citation needed]}

In its 2007 annual report, the Nuclear Safety Authority (ASN) finds overall safety of the power plant as satisfactory but finds that the organization put in place to manage emergencies is robust and the site must be more rigorous in the preparation of interventions.^{[citation needed]}

Selected incidents

2005 spill

In 2005 100,000 US gallons (380 m³) of water spilled out of the plant after 3 days of heavy rainfall causing a Level 3 nuclear hazard in the International Nuclear Event Scale (INES), though none of the locals were evacuated.^{[citation needed]}

2002 and 2005 seismic incidents

In 2002 and 2003, EDF reported two level 1 incidents on the INES scale about the seismic behavior of certain components of 900 MWe French PWR and the central Blayais.^{[citation needed]}

The incident reported on the 14 October 2002 earthquake advised the keeping of water reservoirs to ensure the cooling of the heart in case of accident. The work required to back into compliance plant was completed in December 2005.^{[citation needed]}

The incident on 28 October 2003 reported seismic behavior of piping connected to a tank of water affected by the incident of 14 October 2002.^{[citation needed]}

1999 flooding

Main article: 1999 Blayais Nuclear Power Plant flood

On evening of December 27, 1999, a combination of the incoming tide and high winds overwhelmed the sea walls at the plant and causing parts of the plant to be flooded.^[1] The event resulted in the loss of the plant's off-site power supply and knocked out several safety-related backup systems, resulting in a 'level 2' event on the International Nuclear Event Scale.^[2]

At the time, units 1, 2 and 4 were at full power, while unit 3 was shut down for refuelling.^[1] The operation of units 1 and 2 were affected by flood damage to a number of water pumps and distribution panels, all four units lost their 225kV power supplies, while units 2 and 4 also lost their 400kV power supplies.^[1] Diesel backup generators were employed to maintain power to plants 2 and 4 until the 400kV supply was restored.^[1] Over the following days an estimated 90,000 m³ (3,200,000 cu ft) of water was pumped out of the flooded buildings.^[1]

On 5 January, the regional newspaper Sud-Ouest ran the following headline without being contradicted:Very close to a major accident, explaining that a catastrophe had been narrowly avoided.^[3]

The flooding resulted in fundamental changes to the evaluation of flood risk at nuclear power plants, and in the precautions taken.^[4]

In Germany the flooding prompted the Federal Ministry for Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety to order an evaluation of the German nuclear power plants.^[1]

Opposition

The continued operation of the Blayais plant is opposed by the local anti-nuclear group 'TchernoBlaye' (a portmanteau of the French spelling of Chernobyl and Blaye, the nearest town), formed by Stéphane Lhomme on December 15, 1999.^[5]

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e f} Generic Results and Conclusions of Re-evaluating the Flooding in French and German Nuclear Power Plants J. M. Mattéi, E. Vial, V. Rebour, H. Liemersdorf, M. Türschmann, Eurosafe Forum 2001, published 2001, accessed 2011-03-21
2. ^ COMMUNIQUE N°7 - INCIDENT SUR LE SITE DU BLAYAIS ASN, published 1999-12-30, accessed 2011-03-22
3. ^ Sud-Ouest, 5 janvier 2000 - Centrale de Blaye : Très près de l'accident majeur
4. ^ Lessons Learned from 1999 Blayais Flood: Overview of the EDF Flood Risk Management Plan, Eric de Fraguier, EDF, published 2010-03-11, accessed 2011-03-22
5. ^ L'histoire de TchernoBlaye TchernoBlaye, accessed 2011-03-29

External links

• website (with environmental survey link)