Nuclear plant shut in fuel incident

THE nuclear power plant at Gravelines – between Dunkirk and Calais – was evacuated after a “significant” incident at the weekend.

While there was no radioactive leak to the outside air, staff were cleared from the site and the reactor shut until the incident was under control.

Plant operators were clearing out spent nuclear fuel rods from the No1 reactor overnight on Saturday-Sunday when one became jammed on a support frame.

The Nuclear Safety Authority (ASN) classed the incident as level 1 on its 0-7 scale of danger and plant bosses said there was “no risk” to the environment from the incident.

However, there have been five level 1 incidents at Gravelines over the past three years and an incident of similar severity happened in July 2008 at the EDF nuclear power station at Tricastin in the Drôme.

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Gravelines has six reactors and was formerly the largest nuclear power plant in Europe.