Civaux Nuclear Power Plant
Encyclopedia
The Civaux Nuclear Power
Plant is located in the commune of Civaux
(Vienne
) at the edge of Vienne River
between Confolens
(55 km upstream) and Chauvigny
(16 km downstream), and 34 km south-east of Poitiers
.
It has two operating units that were the precursors to the European Pressurized Reactor
, being the "N4 stage". Designed for a net power output of 1450 MWe
per unit, power was uprated to 1495 MWe in 2003. Water from the Vienne River
is used for cooling.
As of 2004, 692 people work at the plant, with 12.9% women.
The cooling towers of Civaux Nuclear Power Plant are 180 metres in height, making them the tallest cooling towers in France.
Nuclear power
Nuclear power is the use of sustained nuclear fission to generate heat and electricity. Nuclear power plants provide about 6% of the world's energy and 13–14% of the world's electricity, with the U.S., France, and Japan together accounting for about 50% of nuclear generated electricity...
Plant is located in the commune of Civaux
Civaux
Civaux is a commune in the Vienne department in the Poitou-Charentes region in western France....
(Vienne
Vienne
Vienne is the northernmost département of the Poitou-Charentes region of France, named after the river Vienne.- Viennese history :Vienne is one of the original 83 departments, established on March 4, 1790 during the French Revolution. It was created from parts of the former provinces of Poitou,...
) at the edge of Vienne River
Vienne River
The Vienne is one of the most important rivers in south-western France, a significant left tributary of the lower Loire. It supports numerous hydro-electric dams, and it is the main river of the Limousin region and also of the eastern part of the Poitou-Charentes region.Two French départements are...
between Confolens
Confolens
Confolens is a commune in southwestern France. It is one of the two sub-prefecture of the Charente department.Confolens is the administrative center of a largely rural district, which has seen the development of tourism in recent years.-Geography:...
(55 km upstream) and Chauvigny
Chauvigny
Chauvigny is a commune in the Vienne department in the Poitou-Charentes region in western France.Chauvigny is located east of Poitiers by rail. The town is situated overlooking the Vienne River and a small brook. Chauvigny is twinned with Billericay in Essex, England.-Sights:Chauvigny features two...
(16 km downstream), and 34 km south-east of Poitiers
Poitiers
Poitiers is a city on the Clain river in west central France. It is a commune and the capital of the Vienne department and of the Poitou-Charentes region. The centre is picturesque and its streets are interesting for predominant remains of historical architecture, especially from the Romanesque...
.
It has two operating units that were the precursors to the European Pressurized Reactor
European Pressurized Reactor
The EPR is a third generation pressurized water reactor design. It has been designed and developed mainly by Framatome , Electricité de France in France, and Siemens AG in Germany...
, being the "N4 stage". Designed for a net power output of 1450 MWe
MWE
MWE may refer to:*Manufacturer's Weight Empty*McDermott Will & Emery*Midwest Express, an airline*Merowe Airport - IATA code*Multiword expressionMWe may refer to:*Megawatt electrical...
per unit, power was uprated to 1495 MWe in 2003. Water from the Vienne River
Vienne River
The Vienne is one of the most important rivers in south-western France, a significant left tributary of the lower Loire. It supports numerous hydro-electric dams, and it is the main river of the Limousin region and also of the eastern part of the Poitou-Charentes region.Two French départements are...
is used for cooling.
As of 2004, 692 people work at the plant, with 12.9% women.
The cooling towers of Civaux Nuclear Power Plant are 180 metres in height, making them the tallest cooling towers in France.
Events
- On May 12, 1998 there was a leak on an elbow in a pipe of the RCS. Water leaked out at the rate of 30 cubic meters per hour. It was classified as 2 on the INES scaleInternational Nuclear Event ScaleThe International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale was introduced in 1990 by the International Atomic Energy Agency in order to enable prompt communication of safety significance information in case of nuclear accidents....
.
Reactors
| Unit | Type | Net power | Total power | Construction start | Construction finish | Commercial operation | Shut down |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CIVAUX-1 | PWR Pressurized 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... |
1495 MW | 1561 MW | 1988/10/15 | 1997/12/24 | 2002/01/29 | |
| CIVAUX-2 | PWR Pressurized 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... |
1495 MW | 1561 MW | 1991/04/01 | 1999/12/24 | 2002/04/23 | |