Jellyfish Shut French Nuclear Reactors as Heat Wave Builds

Electricite de France SA was forced to shut four atomic reactors after a swarm of jellyfish clogged up filter drums at its Gravelines power plant.

The “massive and unforeseen” presence of jellyfish in the filter drums of pumping stations closed four out of six reactors at Gravelines on the north coast of France, EDF said in a statement on Monday. Pumping stations for coastal nuclear plants usually draw in sea water for cooling, sometimes exposing them to marine life.