Belleville Nuclear Power Plant
Encyclopedia
The Belleville Nuclear Power Plant is located in Belleville-sur-Loire
(Cher) near Léré, Cher
, along the Loire River between Nevers
(75 kilometres (46.6 mi) upstream) and Orléans
(100 kilometres (62.1 mi) downstream). It employs approximately 620 people and consists of two large 1,300 MW P4 nuclear reactors. Its cooling water comes from the Loire River.
On March 27, 2007 twelve Greenpeace
activists climbed the cooling tower and held up a sign in opposition to the construction of new units at the Flamanville Nuclear Power Plant
.
The site spans 170 hectares and is located on a flood-safe, 4.6-meter-high platform. Each year it produces an average of 19 billion kilowatt hours fed to the electricity grid, and thus covers about four percent of French electricity production.
With the construction of the first reactor was started on May 1, 1980, and it began operation October 14, 1987. The second unit started construction August 1, 1980 and began operation July 6, 1988. The shutdown of the reactors is planned for the years 2028 and 2029 for unit 1 and 2.
The emergency cooling system of the two-phase nuclear power plant has a reserve water tank at the bottom of the reactor building. In the event of a defect in the primary cooling circuit that causes it to no longer contribute to cooling, the water from the reserve tank is automatically fed into the cooling system. Inspections in May 2001 showed, however, that this automatic feeding of the water was unreliable, because under some circumstances the pressure of the heated water may block the water slide.
The French nuclear regulatory authority ASN initially classified this disruption of the emergency cooling systems as stage 1 on the international scale of nuclear events (INES), but later assigned it the stage 2 classification. The operating company EDF then built the slider so that excess pressure can no longer lead to a blockage.
Belleville-sur-Loire
Belleville-sur-Loire is a commune in the Cher department in the Centre region of France.-Geography:A farming village with a nuclear power station situated by the banks of the river Loire, some northeast of Bourges at the junction of the D82, D951 and the D751 roads...
(Cher) near Léré, Cher
Léré, Cher
Léré is a commune in the Cher department in the Centre region of France.-Geography:A farming area comprising a very small town and several hamlets situated by the banks of the Loire lateral canal in the valley of the river Loire, some northeast of Bourges, at the junction of the D951, D751 and the...
, along the Loire River between Nevers
Nevers
Nevers is a commune in – and the administrative capital of – the Nièvre department in the Bourgogne region in central France...
(75 kilometres (46.6 mi) upstream) and Orléans
Orléans
-Prehistory and Roman:Cenabum was a Gallic stronghold, one of the principal towns of the Carnutes tribe where the Druids held their annual assembly. It was conquered and destroyed by Julius Caesar in 52 BC, then rebuilt under the Roman Empire...
(100 kilometres (62.1 mi) downstream). It employs approximately 620 people and consists of two large 1,300 MW P4 nuclear reactors. Its cooling water comes from the Loire River.
On March 27, 2007 twelve Greenpeace
Greenpeace
Greenpeace is a non-governmental environmental organization with offices in over forty countries and with an international coordinating body in Amsterdam, The Netherlands...
activists climbed the cooling tower and held up a sign in opposition to the construction of new units at the Flamanville Nuclear Power Plant
Flamanville Nuclear Power Plant
The Flamanville Nuclear Power Plant is located at Flamanville, Manche, France on the Cotentin Peninsula.It houses two pressurized water reactors that produce 1300 MWe each and came into service in 1986 and 1987, respectively. It produced 18.9 TWh in 2005, which amounted to 4% of the electricity...
.
Key information
With the construction of the first reactor was started on May 1, 1980, and it began operation October 14, 1987. The second unit started construction August 1, 1980 and began operation July 6, 1988. The shutdown of the reactors is planned for the years 2028 and 2029 for unit 1 and 2.
Safety
In May 2001 construction-related defects were observed in this plant, along with four other sites.The emergency cooling system of the two-phase nuclear power plant has a reserve water tank at the bottom of the reactor building. In the event of a defect in the primary cooling circuit that causes it to no longer contribute to cooling, the water from the reserve tank is automatically fed into the cooling system. Inspections in May 2001 showed, however, that this automatic feeding of the water was unreliable, because under some circumstances the pressure of the heated water may block the water slide.
The French nuclear regulatory authority ASN initially classified this disruption of the emergency cooling systems as stage 1 on the international scale of nuclear events (INES), but later assigned it the stage 2 classification. The operating company EDF then built the slider so that excess pressure can no longer lead to a blockage.
External links
- EDF site operator Belleville
- Centrale de Belleville - site de l'ASN Central Belleville - site of the ASN
- History of Central Belleville by the "green of Burgundy"
- Vue satellite sur Wikimapia : WikiMapia satellite view: The power of Belleville-sur-Loire
- Belleville 1 : INSC
- Belleville 2 : INSC
- Rapport 2007 Report 2007 under the Law of 13 June 2006 on transparency and nuclear safety