The Gravelines Nuclear Power Plant, located in northern France, has been forced to suspend operations due to a massive influx of jellyfish, marking the second consecutive year the facility has faced such an incident on the same date.
According to the Operative Information Center-OMM, international media outlets have reported that the temporary shutdown was implemented as a safety precaution after swarms of jellyfish clogged the water intake systems used to cool the plant's nuclear reactors.
The same facility experienced a similar jellyfish swarm on August 11, 2025, which resulted in the shutdown of four power units. Despite the plant's operator, EDF, investing hundreds of thousands of euros in mitigation strategies to prevent a recurrence, the fact that the incident repeated almost exactly 12 months later has drawn significant attention.
Experts suggest that the surge in jellyfish populations may be a consequence of climate change. Rising sea temperatures increase the abundance of plankton, the primary food source for jellyfish, while simultaneously accelerating their reproductive cycles.
EDF has announced that it is deploying fishing boats around the plant to divert jellyfish masses away from the water intake systems. The company stated that it expects the plant to resume full operational capacity in the coming days.
The Gravelines Nuclear Power Plant is one of the largest in Western Europe. Such incidents highlight the vulnerability of coastal industrial infrastructure to ecological shifts, prompting broader discussions regarding environmental adaptation strategies for critical energy facilities.
