Accidents and Incidents
See also: Nuclear accidents by country and Lists of nuclear disasters and radioactive incidents| Date | Location | Description | Cost (in millions 2006 US$) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17 October 1969 | Saint-Laurent, France | 50 kg of Uranium in one of the reactors at the Saint-Laurent Nuclear Power Plant began to melt, an event classified at 'level 4' on the International Nuclear Event Scale (INES). As of March 2011, this remains the most serious civil nuclear power accident in France. | ? |
| 25 July 1979 | Saclay, France | Radioactive fluids escape into drains designed for ordinary wastes, seeping into the local watershed at the Saclay BL3 Reactor | 5 |
| 13 March 1980 | Loir-et-Cher, France | A malfunctioning cooling system fuses fuel elements together at the Saint Laurent A2 reactor, ruining the fuel assembly and forcing an extended shutdown | 22 |
| 14 April 1984 | Bugey, France | Electrical cables fail at the command centre of the Bugey Nuclear Power Plant and force a complete shutdown of one reactor | 2 |
| 22 May 1986 | Normandy, France | A reprocessing plant at La Hague malfunctions and exposes workers to unsafe levels of radiation and forces five to be hospitalised | 5 |
| 12 April 1987 | Tricastin, France | Tricastin fast breeder reactor leaks coolant, sodium and uranium hexachloride, injuring seven workers and contaminating water supplies | 50 |
| 27 December 1999 | Blayais, France | An unexpectedly strong storm floods the Blayais Nuclear Power Plant, forcing an emergency shutdown after injection pumps and containment safety systems fail from water damage | 55 |
| 21 January 2002 | Manche, France | Control systems and safety valves fail after improper installation of condensers, forcing a two-month shutdown | 102 |
| 16 May 2005 | Lorraine, France | Sub-standard electrical cables at the Cattenom-2 nuclear reactor cause a fire in an electricity tunnel, damaging safety systems | 12 |
| 13 July 2008 | Tricastin, France | 75 kg of natural uranium, in thousands of litres of solution, accidentally spilled on the ground and run off into a nearby river | 7 |
| 12 August 2009 | Gravelines, France | Assembly system fails to properly eject spent fuel rods from the Gravelines Nuclear Power Plant, causing the fuel rods to jam and the reactor to shut down | 2 |
| 12 September 2011 | Marcoule, France | One person was killed and four injured, one seriously, in a blast at the Marcoule Nuclear Site. The explosion took place in a furnace used to melt metallic waste and did not represent a nuclear accident. | ? |
In July 2008, 18,000 litres (4,755 gallons) of uranium solution containing natural uranium were accidentally released from Tricastin Nuclear Power Centre. Due to cleaning and repair work the containment system for a uranium solution holding tank was not functional when the tank filled. The inflow exceeded the tank's capacity and 30 cubic metres of uranium solution leaked, with 18 cubic metres spilled on the ground. Testing found elevated uranium levels in the nearby Gaffière and Lauzon rivers. The liquid that escaped to the ground contained about 75 kg of natural uranium, which is toxic as a heavy metal, but only slightly radioactive. Estimates for the releases were initially higher, up to 360 kg of natural uranium, but revised downward later. French authorities banned the use of water from the Gaffière and Lauzon for drinking and watering of crops for 2 weeks. Swimming, water sports and fishing were also banned. This incident has been classified as Level 1 (anomaly) on the International Nuclear Event Scale. Shortly after the first incident, approximately 100 employees were exposed to minor doses of radiation (1/40 of the annual limit) due to a piping failure.
Read more about this topic: Nuclear Energy In France
Famous quotes containing the words accidents and/or incidents:
“We are the men of intrinsic value, who can strike our fortunes out of ourselves, whose worth is independent of accidents in life, or revolutions in government: we have heads to get money, and hearts to spend it.”
—George Farquhar (1678–1707)
“An element of exaggeration clings to the popular judgment: great vices are made greater, great virtues greater also; interesting incidents are made more interesting, softer legends more soft.”
—Walter Bagehot (1826–1877)