Bugey Nuclear Power Plant
Encyclopedia
The Bugey Nuclear Power
Station is located in Bugey
in the Saint-Vulbas
commune (Ain
), about 30 km from the Swiss border. The site occupies 100 hectare
s. It is on the edge of the Rhône River
, from where it gets its cooling water, and is about 30 km upstream from Lyon
. About 1,200 people work at the site.
The site houses 4 currently operating units, all being pressurized water reactor
s. 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 tower
s (units 4 and 5).
, 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.
on July 20, 2003 water was directly dumped 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.
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...
Station is located in Bugey
Bugey
The Bugey is a historical region in the département of Ain , France. It is located in a loop of the Rhône River in the southeast of the département...
in the Saint-Vulbas
Saint-Vulbas
Saint-Vulbas is a commune in the Ain department in eastern France.-Population:-References:*...
commune (Ain
Ain
Ain is a department named after the Ain River on the eastern edge of France. Being part of the region Rhône-Alpes and bordered by the rivers Saône and Rhône, the department of Ain enjoys a privileged geographic situation...
), about 30 km from the Swiss border. The site occupies 100 hectare
Hectare
The hectare is a metric unit of area defined as 10,000 square metres , and primarily used in the measurement of land. In 1795, when the metric system was introduced, the are was defined as being 100 square metres and the hectare was thus 100 ares or 1/100 km2...
s. It is on the edge of the Rhône River
Rhône River
The Rhone is one of the major rivers of Europe, rising in Switzerland and running from there through southeastern France. At Arles, near its mouth on the Mediterranean Sea, the river divides into two branches, known as the Great Rhone and the Little Rhone...
, from where it gets its cooling water, and is about 30 km upstream from Lyon
Lyon
Lyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
. About 1,200 people work at the site.
The site houses 4 currently operating units, all being pressurized water reactor
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...
s. The 5th reactor (unit 1) is currently being dismantled. It was the last UNGG reactor
UNGG reactor
The UNGG is an obsolete design of nuclear power reactor developed by France. It was graphite moderated, cooled by carbon dioxide, and fueled with natural uranium metal....
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 tower
Cooling tower
Cooling towers are heat removal devices used to transfer process waste heat to the atmosphere. Cooling towers may either use the evaporation of water to remove process heat and cool the working fluid to near the wet-bulb air temperature or in the case of closed circuit dry cooling towers rely...
s (units 4 and 5).
Seismic activity
According to reports from the Autorité de sûreté nucléaireAutorité de sûreté nucléaire
The Autorité de sûreté nucléaire is an independent French administrative authority set up by law 2006-686 of 13 June 2006 concerning nuclear transparency and safety. Its task, on behalf of the State, is to regulate nuclear safety and radiation protection in order to protect workers, patients, the...
, 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
Earthquake
An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The seismicity, seismism or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time...
resistance standards.
Heat dumping
During the heat waveHeat wave
A heat wave is a prolonged period of excessively hot weather, which may be accompanied by high humidity. There is no universal definition of a heat wave; the term is relative to the usual weather in the area...
on July 20, 2003 water was directly dumped 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 | Type | Average Output | Rated Power | Began construction | Finish construction | Commercial operation | Close of reactor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bugey 1 | Gas-cooled reactor Gas-cooled reactor A gas-cooled reactor is a nuclear reactor that uses graphite as a neutron moderator and carbon dioxide as coolant... |
540 MW | 555 MW | December 1, 1965 | April 15, 1972 | July 1, 1972 | May 27, 1994 |
| Bugey 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... |
910 MW | 945 MW | November 1, 1972 | May 10, 1978 | March 1, 1979 | 2019 planned |
| Bugey 3 | 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... |
910 MW | 945 MW | September 1, 1973 | September 21, 1978 | March 1, 1979 | 2019 planned |
| Bugey 4 | 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... |
880 MW | 917 MW | June 1, 1974 | March 8, 1979 | July 1, 1979 | 2019 planned |
| Bugey 5 | 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... |
880 MW | 917 MW | July 1, 1974 | July 31, 1979 | January 30, 1980 | 2020 planned |