Bugey Nuclear Power Plant

The Bugey Nuclear Power Plant is located in Bugey in the Saint-Vulbas commune (Ain), about 75 km from the Swiss border. The site occupies 100 hectares. It is on the edge of the Rhône River, from where it gets its cooling water, and is about 35 km upstream from Lyon and 72 km from Grenoble. About 1,200 people work at the site.

Bugey Nuclear Power Plant
Bugey Nuclear Power Plant
CountryFrance
Coordinates45°47′54″N 5°16′15″E
StatusOperational
Construction began1964
Commission dateApril 15, 1972
Owner(s)EDF
Operator(s)EDF
Employees
  • 1,703 (2017)
Nuclear power station
Reactors5
Reactor typePWR
Power generation
Units operational2 × 910 MW
2 × 880 MW
Make and modelpressurized water reactor (4)
Units decommissioned1 × 540 MW
Nameplate capacity3580 MW
Capacity factor78.6%
Annual net output25,654 GW·h
External links
Websiteedf.fr/ ... /Bugey.html
CommonsRelated media on Commons

The site houses 4 currently operating units, all being pressurized water reactors. The 5th reactor (unit 1) is currently being dismantled. It was the last UNGG reactor built in the world.

Some of the cooling comes from direct use of the Rhône water (units 2 and 3) while some is done by the use of cooling towers (units 4 and 5).

Seismic activity

According to reports from the Autorité de sûreté nucléaire,[1] some safety functions may not be provided in the event of an earthquake. The area is not known for its seismic activity.

In the last few years, the plant was modernized to updated earthquake resistance standards.

Heat dumping

During the heat wave on July 20, 2003, waste heat water was piped into the Rhône, which is permitted, in extreme cases, for about 2 hours and the maximum heat difference was 0.9 degrees Celsius. Again on July 30, 2003, water was directly discharged into the Rhône for 9 hours.

Reactor units
Reactor Unit[2] Type Average Output Rated Power Began construction Finish construction Commercial operation Close of reactor[3]
Bugey 1UNGG
(gas-cooled)		540 MW555 MWDecember 1, 1965April 15, 1972July 1, 1972May 27, 1994
Bugey 2CP0 (PWR)910 MW945 MWNovember 1, 1972May 10, 1978March 1, 1979Qualified to operate until April, 2021
Bugey 3CP0 (PWR)910 MW945 MWSeptember 1, 1973September 21, 1978March 1, 1979Qualified to operate until April, 2024
Bugey 4CP0 (PWR)880 MW917 MWJune 1, 1974March 8, 1979July 1, 1979Qualified to operate until December, 2021
Bugey 5CP0 (PWR)880 MW917 MWJuly 1, 1974July 31, 1979January 30, 1980Qualified to operate until June, 2022

Bugey 5 was offline from August 2015 to July 2017 due to an air leak in the inner liner of its containment.[4][5]

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References
  1. The French Nuclear Safety Authority Archived August 23, 2007, at the Wayback Machine (in English)
  2. Power Reactor Information System from IAEA: "France (French Republic): Nuclear Power Reactors" (in English)
  3. The French Nuclear Safety Authority Archived June 25, 2020, at the Wayback Machine (in French)
  4. "Bugey 5 containment repairs get regulatory approval". World Nuclear News. April 5, 2017. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
  5. "Bugey 5 restarts following containment repairs". World Nuclear News. July 27, 2017. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
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