Ecological shock: jellyfish shut down three reactors
On August 11, 2026, the Gravelines nuclear power plant in northern France faced an unprecedented challenge that threatened the region's energy supply. In the midst of the fifth wave of anomalous heat sweeping the continent, giant swarms of jellyfish attacked the plant's cooling systems. According to operator EDF, multi-ton accumulations of marine creatures are literally clogging the intake pump filters, making it impossible to dissipate heat from the reactors.
The situation at the plant is critical: three of the six units (No. 2, No. 3, and No. 4) were forced to shut down in an emergency. Another reactor (No. 1) was switched to half-power mode to minimize the risk of overheating. Currently, only the sixth unit is fully operational, while the fifth is undergoing scheduled maintenance. Thus, approximately 3.2 GW of capacity has temporarily dropped out of the French grid — a colossal loss during peak electricity consumption due to the heat.
Systemic crisis: why did this happen exactly now?
The incident at Gravelines is not a coincidence, but a logical result of the climate changes of 2026. The NPP, located on the coast of the English Channel, uses seawater for cooling. Due to record warming of the water in the North Sea, which reached peak values, the jellyfish population experienced explosive growth. Additional factors included ocean acidification and overfishing, which disrupted the natural balance of the ecosystem.
This is a repetition of the scenario that occurred exactly a year ago, in August 2025. At that time, EDF took measures: installed thermal imagers and signed contracts with fishermen to catch jellyfish with trawls. However, this time the protective vessels were powerless against the anomalous density of biomass. Engineers are now using vacuum cleaning machines, trying to manually remove tons of jellyfish from the filters, but the process is slow.
Impact on the energy system and prospects
The loss of capacity at Gravelines exacerbates an already tense situation in France. Due to the warming of rivers, EDF has already limited the operation of its other NPPs to avoid violating the temperature regime of the river ecosystem. The total deficit of nuclear generation in the country exceeded 15%. EDF assured that the incident poses no threat to the safety of personnel and the population, however, ecologists warn: such failures will become regular for coastal NPPs worldwide.
