The Gravelines plant in northern France has six reactors, one of which has been shut down for maintenance. On Monday, three more reactors were completely shut down, while the output of a fourth was halved, leaving one reactor in full operation.
The reason is that jellyfish in the sea are clogging the cooling water pumps. The same situation affected Gravelines exactly a year ago.
Now it comes at a time when French and European nuclear power is already under pressure from heatwaves and droughts, with reactors in a number of countries shut down as a result.
Both drought and jellyfish are problems for the industry that are feared to worsen as climate change progresses.
