A massive influx of jellyfish into seawater pumping stations forced energy company EDF to shut down three reactors at the Gravelines nuclear power plant in northern France Monday, according to EDF’s statement.
Reactors 3 and 4 shut down automatically after jellyfish entered the pumping system, in accordance with operating procedures, EDF said. The company also shut down reactor 2 and reduced reactor 1 to 50% power.
Reactor 6 continued operating at full capacity, while reactor 5 was already offline for scheduled maintenance.
EDF said the incident had no impact on nuclear safety, workers, or the environment.
The disruption came as France’s nuclear fleet recorded high levels of unavailable capacity because of drought and extreme heat. AFP calculations based on EDF data put unavailable nuclear capacity at 15.6% on Sunday, according to FranceInfo.
Gravelines, on the North Sea coast, encountered a similar jellyfish influx in August 2025, when four reactors shut down automatically. EDF gradually returned the units to service over the following days, with the final reactor reconnecting to the national grid about 10 days later.
Jellyfish commonly appear along northern France’s coast during the summer, though large concentrations have become more frequent as ocean temperatures rise.
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