Blayais Nuclear Power Plant
| Company type | Nuclear power plant |
|---|---|
| Industry | Energy |
| Founded | 1981 |
| Headquarters | Blaye , France |
Key people | Électricité de France (EDF) |
| Products | Electricity generation |
Number of employees | 1550 (2024) |
The Blayais Nuclear Power Plant is situated along the Gironde estuary close to Blaye, France and is managed by Électricité de France (EDF).
Description
This facility consists of four pressurized water reactor units, each delivering a gross output of 951 MW and a net output of 910 MW. The reactors were brought online between 1981 and 1983. The site employs around 1,200 EDF personnel in addition to 350 permanent staff members.
Annually, the combined reactors produce approximately 25 TWh, which represents about 5% of France's overall electricity usage (476 TWh in 2015). Since its inception, the Blayais plant has generated close to 1,000 TWh of electrical energy as of 2024.
1999 flooding
On 27 December 1999, the plant experienced flooding caused by high tides and strong winds that breached the sea defenses. This event led to the loss of off-site electrical power and disabled several safety backup systems, categorizing it as a 'level 2' incident on the International Nuclear Event Scale.
At that moment, reactors 1, 2, and 4 were operating at full capacity, while reactor 3 was offline for refueling. Floodwaters damaged pumps and electrical distribution panels in units 1 and 2. All four reactors lost their 225 kV power connections; additionally, units 2 and 4 lost their 400 kV supplies. Diesel generators provided power to units 2 and 4 until the restoration of the higher voltage supply. Over the following days, a significant volume of water was removed from the site.
On 5 January, the regional publication Sud-Ouest described the event as "Very close to a major accident", emphasizing how narrowly a serious disaster was avoided.
This flooding incident triggered comprehensive revisions in flood risk evaluation and safety protocols at nuclear installations. In response, Germany’s Federal Ministry for Environment mandated safety assessments for its own nuclear plants.
Opposition
The Blayais facility encounters resistance from the local anti-nuclear organization TchernoBlaye, a name formed by combining Chernobyl and Blaye. Established by Stéphane Lhomme on 15 December 1999, this group actively contests the plant’s ongoing operation, reflecting persistent local opposition.