Cattenom Nuclear Power Plant
Encyclopedia
The Cattenom Nuclear Power Station is a nuclear power plant
located in Lorraine
in the Cattenom
commune, France
on the Moselle River
between Thionville
(10 km upstream) and Trier
(80 km downstream). It is close to the city of Luxembourg
(35 km) and Metz
(40 km).
s that were all built between 1979 and 1991 and have an electric output of 1300 MW each. The plant is a relatively modern and large nuclear power station. In 2006 it produced the third most electricity (34 TWh) of the nuclear plants in France
behind Gravelines
(38.5 TWh) and Paluel
(34.9 TWh).
The plant employs about 1200 regular employees and about 1000 more during outage times.
The station received its ISO 14001 certification in 2005, and should have its ISO 9001 and OHSAS 18001 in 2007.
s which use 890000000 cubic metre of water from the Moselle annually. Additionally, a water reserve on site, Lake Mirgenbach, was created. In 1985 an artificial lake was also created in the Pierre-Percée
valley in the Vosges Mountains
. The creation of this lake has led to the flooding of the subterranean portions of Ouvrage Kobenbusch
, part of the Maginot Line
.
During the 2003 European heat wave
it was permitted to dump the water used for cooling directly into the Moselle river. The heating of the water in these cases is limited to 1.5 degrees Celsius by prefectoral decree. Heating to 2.2 degrees was accidentally caused once.
This list is not meant to be complete. The references include the official ASN list which names 88 events between march 2000 and march 2008.
Nuclear power plant
A nuclear power plant is a thermal power station in which the heat source is one or more nuclear reactors. As in a conventional thermal power station the heat is used to generate steam which drives a steam turbine connected to a generator which produces electricity.Nuclear power plants are usually...
located in Lorraine
Lorraine (région)
Lorraine is one of the 27 régions of France. The administrative region has two cities of equal importance, Metz and Nancy. Metz is considered to be the official capital since that is where the regional parliament is situated...
in the Cattenom
Cattenom
Cattenom is a commune in the Moselle department in Lorraine in north-eastern France.It lies about 8 kilometres north of Thionville.-Nuclear power station:...
commune, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
on the Moselle River
Moselle River
The Moselle is a river flowing through France, Luxembourg, and Germany. It is a left tributary of the Rhine, joining the Rhine at Koblenz. A small part of Belgium is also drained by the Mosel through the Our....
between Thionville
Thionville
Thionville , is a commune in the Moselle department in Lorraine in north-eastern France. The city is located on the left bank of the river Moselle, opposite its suburb Yutz.-Demographics:...
(10 km upstream) and Trier
Trier
Trier, historically called in English Treves is a city in Germany on the banks of the Moselle. It is the oldest city in Germany, founded in or before 16 BC....
(80 km downstream). It is close to the city of Luxembourg
Luxembourg (city)
The city of Luxembourg , also known as Luxembourg City , is a commune with city status, and the capital of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. It is located at the confluence of the Alzette and Pétrusse Rivers in southern Luxembourg...
(35 km) and Metz
Metz
Metz is a city in the northeast of France located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers.Metz is the capital of the Lorraine region and prefecture of the Moselle department. Located near the tripoint along the junction of France, Germany, and Luxembourg, Metz forms a central place...
(40 km).
Description
The site consists of 4 Pressurized Water ReactorPressurized water reactor
Pressurized water reactors constitute a large majority of all western nuclear power plants and are one of three types of light water reactor , the other types being boiling water reactors and supercritical water reactors...
s that were all built between 1979 and 1991 and have an electric output of 1300 MW each. The plant is a relatively modern and large nuclear power station. In 2006 it produced the third most electricity (34 TWh) of the nuclear plants in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
behind Gravelines
Gravelines Nuclear Power Plant
The Gravelines Nuclear Power Station is the fifth largest nuclear power station in the world. It is located in Nord, France, approximately from Dunkerque and Calais. Its cooling water comes from the North Sea. The plant houses 6 nuclear reactors. Two entered service in 1980, two in 1981, and two...
(38.5 TWh) and Paluel
Paluel Nuclear Power Plant
The Nuclear power station Paluel lies within the French town Paluel in Normandy in the Département Seine-Maritime. The nuclear power station, which consists of four 1330 MWe class pressurized water reactors, is about 40 kilometers far away from the city of Dieppe and employs approx. 1,250 full...
(34.9 TWh).
The plant employs about 1200 regular employees and about 1000 more during outage times.
The station received its ISO 14001 certification in 2005, and should have its ISO 9001 and OHSAS 18001 in 2007.
Cooling
The site uses 4 separate cooling towerCooling tower
Cooling towers are heat removal devices used to transfer process waste heat to the atmosphere. Cooling towers may either use the evaporation of water to remove process heat and cool the working fluid to near the wet-bulb air temperature or in the case of closed circuit dry cooling towers rely...
s which use 890000000 cubic metre of water from the Moselle annually. Additionally, a water reserve on site, Lake Mirgenbach, was created. In 1985 an artificial lake was also created in the Pierre-Percée
Pierre-Percée
Pierre-Percée is a commune in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department in north-eastern France.-See also:*Communes of the Meurthe-et-Moselle department...
valley in the Vosges Mountains
Vosges mountains
For the department of France of the same name, see Vosges.The Vosges are a range of low mountains in eastern France, near its border with Germany. They extend along the west side of the Rhine valley in a northnortheast direction, mainly from Belfort to Saverne...
. The creation of this lake has led to the flooding of the subterranean portions of Ouvrage Kobenbusch
Ouvrage Kobenbusch
Ouvrage Kobenbusch is a gros ouvrage of the Maginot Line, located in the Fortified Sector of Thionville in the Cattenom forest. It possesses seven combat blocks and two entrance blocks, one for ammunition and the other for men. It is located between petit ouvrage Bois-Karre and petit ouvrage...
, part of the Maginot Line
Maginot Line
The Maginot Line , named after the French Minister of War André Maginot, was a line of concrete fortifications, tank obstacles, artillery casemates, machine gun posts, and other defences, which France constructed along its borders with Germany and Italy, in light of its experience in World War I,...
.
During the 2003 European heat wave
2003 European heat wave
The 2003 European heat wave was the hottest summer on record in Europe since at least 1540. France was hit especially hard. The heat wave led to health crises in several countries and combined with drought to create a crop shortfall in Southern Europe...
it was permitted to dump the water used for cooling directly into the Moselle river. The heating of the water in these cases is limited to 1.5 degrees Celsius by prefectoral decree. Heating to 2.2 degrees was accidentally caused once.
Events
- In March 2001, the reactor building of Unit 3 was evacuated with 131 people, apparently due to a false alarm. No one was hurt and there were no radiation releases.
- On March 12, 2008, an employee was exposed to about 1/20 of the annual maximum allowed dose.
- Eight workers were exposed to radiation in March 2005.
This list is not meant to be complete. The references include the official ASN list which names 88 events between march 2000 and march 2008.