Bugey Nuclear Power Plant

Bugey Nuclear Power Plant
Bugey Nuclear Power Plant
Country France
Coordinates 45°47′54″N 5°16′15″E / 45.79833°N 5.27083°E / 45.79833; 5.27083Coordinates: 45°47′54″N 5°16′15″E / 45.79833°N 5.27083°E / 45.79833; 5.27083
Construction began 1964
Commission date April 15, 1972
Owner(s) EDF
Operator(s) EDF
Nuclear power station
Reactor type PWR
Power generation
Units operational 2 × 910 MW
2 × 880 MW
Units decommissioned 1 × 540 MW
Nameplate capacity 3580 MW
Capacity factor 78.6%
Annual net output 25,654 GW·h
Website
edf.fr/ ... /Bugey.html

The Bugey Nuclear Power Plant is located in Bugey in the Saint-Vulbas commune (Ain), about 75 km from the Swiss border. The site occupies 100 hectares. It is on the edge of the Rhône River, from where it gets its cooling water, and is about 35 km upstream from Lyon and 72 km from Grenoble. About 1,200 people work at the site.

The site houses 4 currently operating units, all being pressurized water reactors. The 5th reactor (unit 1) is currently being dismantled. It was the last UNGG reactor built in the world.

Some of the cooling comes from direct use of the Rhône water (units 2 and 3) while some is done by the use of cooling towers (units 4 and 5).

Seismic activity

According to reports from the Autorité de sûreté nucléaire,[1] some safety functions may not be provided in the event of an earthquake. The area is not known for its seismic activity.

In the last few years, the plant was modernized to updated earthquake resistance standards.

Heat dumping

During the heat wave on July 20, 2003, waste heat water was piped into the Rhône, which is permitted, in extreme cases, for about 2 hours and the maximum heat difference was 0.9 degrees Celsius. Again on July 30, 2003, water was directly discharged into the Rhône for 9 hours.

Reactor units

Reactor Unit[2] Type Average Output Rated Power Began construction Finish construction Commercial operation Close of reactor
Bugey 1UNGG
(gas-cooled)
540 MW555 MWDecember 1, 1965April 15, 1972July 1, 1972May 27, 1994
Bugey 2CP0 (PWR)910 MW945 MWNovember 1, 1972May 10, 1978March 1, 19792019 planned
Bugey 3CP0 (PWR)910 MW945 MWSeptember 1, 1973September 21, 1978March 1, 19792019 planned
Bugey 4CP0 (PWR)880 MW917 MWJune 1, 1974March 8, 1979July 1, 19792019 planned
Bugey 5CP0 (PWR)880 MW917 MWJuly 1, 1974July 31, 1979January 30, 19802020 planned

Bugey 5 was offline from August 2015 to July 2017 due to an air leak in the inner liner of its containment.[3][4]

References

  1. The French Nuclear Safety Authority Archived August 23, 2007, at the Wayback Machine. (in English)
  2. Power Reactor Information System from IAEA: "France (French Republic): Nuclear Power Reactors" (in English)
  3. "Bugey 5 containment repairs get regulatory approval". World Nuclear News. 5 April 2017. Retrieved 6 April 2017.
  4. "Bugey 5 restarts following containment repairs". World Nuclear News. 27 July 2017. Retrieved 27 July 2017.
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