Swarm of Jellyfish Zap the Power Out of Nuclear Power Plant
The Gravelines nuclear power plant in Ford, France, had to temporarily shut down on Sunday, Aug. 10
A swarm of jellyfish impacted the power plant's reactors after they were found in the cooling systems
The jellyfish did not cause damage to the facilities or the surrounding environmentA swarm of jellyfish impacted four reactors at the Gravelines nuclear power plant in Ford, France, on Sunday, Aug. 10, operator Électricité de France (EDF) said.
The jellyfish were found in the nuclear power plant cooling systems, likely because of the rising water temperatures, EDF said on Monday, Aug. 11, per Reuters.
Right before midnight, three of the Gravelines reactors stopped automatically after the filter drums of the pumping stations became packed with a 'massive and unpredictable' swarm of jellyfish. The fourth reactor stopped early Monday, Aug. 11, per The New York Times.
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After the incident, the entire plant temporarily halted production. The remaining two units that were impacted are offline for planned maintenance. The jellyfish did not cause damage to the facilities or the environment, but the filter pumps will be cleaned, per Reuters.
The nuclear power plant is one of the largest in France, with six units producing 900 megawatts of power each, reaching a total of 5.4 gigawatts. The power plant is cooled from a canal connected to the North Sea.
The jellyfish population around Gravelines has increased in recent years, due to the warmer water, which also increases the species reproductive capacity.
"Jellyfish breed faster when water is warmer, and because areas like the North Sea are becoming warmer, the reproductive window is getting wider and wider," David Wright, marine biology consultant at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries, said, per Reuters.
'Everyone talks about nuclear being clean but we don't think about the unintended consequences of heat pollution,' Wright continued. 'Jellyfish can also hitch rides on tanker ships, entering the ships' ballast tank in one port and often getting pumped out into waters halfway across the globe."
Jellyfish have been impacting power plants across the globe for more than a decade. Jellyfish caused shutdowns at plants in Israel, Japan and Scotland, each in 2011. Then, two years later, jellyfish caused another shutdown in Sweden.
Incidents like these are an increasingly serious issue because 'jellyfish are becoming more frequent and widespread due to factors such as overfishing, climate change and increased coastal development,' according to the Oceanic Invertebrate Research Institute.
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A representative for Électricité de France (EDF) did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for more information on Monday.
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