France’s power grid is facing a dual-threat crisis this week as massive jellyfish swarms have forced the shutdown of three reactors at a major nuclear facility, compounding existing instability caused by a record-breaking heatwave.

Energy officials confirmed that a significant influx of jellyfish into the plant’s cooling system intakes necessitated an emergency stoppage to prevent damage to the facility’s infrastructure. The shutdown has resulted in a loss of approximately 3.2 gigawatts of capacity, further tightening the nation’s energy reserves.

This marks the second consecutive year that the plant has been targeted by these marine invertebrates on August 11, raising questions about changing local water conditions or ecological patterns. Experts note that while cooling systems are equipped with filtration mechanisms, the sheer volume of the swarm has overwhelmed the equipment, creating an operational hazard that requires immediate manual clearing.

Adding to the grid’s distress, the ongoing heatwave across Europe is expected to reduce France’s total nuclear capacity by an additional 15% this Friday. Under French environmental regulations, nuclear plants must reduce output or shut down when river water temperatures used for cooling reach specific thresholds to ensure the protection of local aquatic life and prevent thermal pollution.

“The convergence of environmental pressures, both biological and climatic, highlights the vulnerability of aging thermal-dependent infrastructure,” said energy analysts monitoring the situation.

Utility operators have not yet provided a definitive timeline for when the impacted reactors will return to full capacity, as technicians must ensure the cooling intake systems are entirely cleared and structural integrity is verified before restarting. As the heatwave persists, grid operators are urging citizens to monitor energy consumption closely to avoid potential load shedding.

Source: Newser