Fessenheim Nuclear Power Plant
Encyclopedia
The Fessenheim Nuclear Power Plant is located in the Fessenheim
commune
in the Haut-Rhin
department in Alsace
in north-eastern France
, 15 km (9.3 mi) north east of the Mulhouse
urban area, within 1.5 km (0.93205910497471 mi) of the border with Germany
, and approximately 40 km (24.9 mi) from Switzerland
. Nearly 100,000 people live within 20 km (12.4 mi) of the plant, which is located in the third most densely populated region in Metropolitan France
and in the centre of the European Backbone
. As of March 2011, it is the oldest operational nuclear power plant in France.
There have been ongoing concerns about the seismic
safety of the plant and, following the 2011 Fukushima I nuclear accidents, on March 21 the local Information and Oversight Commission for the plant called for the seismic risk to be re-evaluated based on a 7.2 magnitude earthquake; the plant was originally designed for a 6.7 magnitude earthquake. The Swiss cantons
of Bâle-Ville, Bâle-Campagne and Jura
have also said that they are to going to ask the French government to suspend the operation of Fessenheim while undertaking a safety review based on the lessons learned from Japan. The German state
of Baden-Württemberg
has called for a temporary closure in line with the 3-month shut down of pre-1981 plants ordered in Germany. On March 29 the Franche-Comté Regional Council
went further and voted for the plant to be closed, the first time a French Regional Council has passed such a vote. On April 6 the Grand Council of Bâle-Ville
also voted for the plant to be closed as did the council
of the Urban Community of Strasbourg
on April 12. The European Parliament's Green members
are also supporting the closure demands and are referring the matter to the European Commission
. Around 3,800 people demonstrated near the plant on April 8; a larger demonstration is expected on April 25. The group Stop Fessenheim have collected over 63,000 signatures through an online petition
calling for Fessenheim's closure, and, on April 18, began a 366-day 'fasting
relay' outside the préfecture office in Colmar
.
s, each generating each 900MWe
. Construction at Fessenheim began in 1970 and the plant was commissioned in 1977. It is built alongside the Grand Canal d'Alsace
, a canal
channelling the Upper Rhine
river, from which it draws 2.5 km³ (0.599781896510717 cu mi) of cooling water annually.
The plant permanently employs around 700 staff and 200 contractors, and indirectly supports a further 600 to 2,000 people during maintenance operations. The plant contributes around 16,000,000 euro
in tax to the various local authorities, including providing the commune
of Fessenheim with 70% of its revenue.
In October 2009 the plant's third 10-yearly inspection on reactor 1 began, in advance of a decision on whether the plant can continue to operate for a further decade. A full decision is expected in 2011, but permission to restart reactor 1 in the interim has been given. The second reactor is due to be shut down for inspection from mid April 2011. The local Information and Oversight Commission has asked GSIEN
to conduct a parallel independent inspection alongside the official inspection by the Nuclear Safety Authority
.
(INES).
On December 27, 2009, a 'level 1' incident on the INES occurred when plant matter was drawn into the Essential Service Water System intake, reducing the flow rate, although the flow remained sufficient to avoid endangering the security of the plant.
On January 24, 2004, the water in the primary circuit water of Unit 1 was contaminated by radioactive resin from a system used to filter out boron, quickly blocking several filters and endangering the integrity of the joints on the pumps. Seven EDF employees inhaled radioactive dust during the replacement of the filters, and another was slightly irradiated during the clean-up the following month. The incident was categorised at 'level 1' on the INES.
département, including Fessenheim, are classified in a zone of moderate seismicity, however the southern third is in a medium risk zone. The most recent earthquake in this zone, with a magnitude 4.7, took place in this southern third at Sierentz
in July 1980. The last major earthquake in the region was the 1356 Basel earthquake
, estimated to have had a Mw magnitude
of up to 7.1.
A report commissioned by the Swiss canton of Bâle-Ville, published in 2007, concluded that the previous seismic evaluations undertaken by both EDF and, to a lesser extent, by the Institut de radioprotection et de sûreté nucléaire
(Radioprotection and Nuclear Safety Institute, IRSN) had underestimated the risks involved. In particular, although the location of the fault in the Rhine Rift Valley
that led to the 1356 Basel earthquake was sufficiently well known for national and regional purposes, its location was not known precisely enough to evaluate a particular site. Studies conducted by other scientists have, for example, reached different conclusions about which faults might have been involved in the 1356 earthquake, its magnitude (ranging from 6.0 to 7.1 on the moment magnitude scale
), and the distance from the fault to the plant (ranging from 2 km (1.2 mi) to 40 km (24.9 mi) away, compared to the distances of 34 km (21.1 mi) and 29 km (18 mi) used by EDF and the IRSN respectively). EDF also failed to take into account the possibility of a moderate local earthquake, which may have the potential to do greater damage than one which is larger but more distant, and the report was also critical of some aspects of the RFS 2001-01 assessment requirements. The report found that the design standards in force when the plant was built were similar to those that currently apply to present-day public buildings, the plant had been designed to accommodate movement, but that it was not possible to determine whether or not the safety margins used would be adequate if a more realistic seismic evaluation were to be used.
On March 11, 2011 the local Information and Oversight Commission announced that is was commissioning two independent second opinions, to be delivered as soon as possible, one on 'the safety of the plant in the event of an earthquake of magnitude 7.2, corresponding to the new seismic reference point proposed by the Swiss experts', the other on the 'redundancy of the cooling systems' in case of flooding. GSIEN
has been commissioned to produce one of the reports.
, the Institute for Nuclear Protection and Safety (now part of the Radioprotection and Nuclear Safety Institute
) called for the risk of flooding at Fessenheim to be re-examined due to the presence of the canal.
On March 11, 2011 the local Information and Oversight Commission announced that it has commissioned an urgent report on the 'redundancy of the cooling systems' in case of flooding and that another report 'to determine the areas to strengthen to guarantee the safety of the plant in the event of a breech in the canal', which had already started, is expected in June 2011.
Although the plant was built with a 40 year operational life, on the plant's 30th anniversary, the anti nuclear group sortir du nucléaire
called for the plant's immediate closure. The Tri-national Nuclear Protection Action Group ATPN (Action Tri nationale de Protection Nucléaire), with members from France, Germany
and Switzerland
is also campaigning for the plant to be closed and in 2008 it unsuccessfully applied to the Strasbourg Administrative Tribunal (Tribunal Administratif de Strasbourg) to order its closure. On March 9, 2011, a further application to close the plant because of the seismic
, flood
ing and other risks was rejected by the tribunal.
A local association called Stop Fessenheim was formed in October 2005 and registered in the Canton of Munster, after having operated informally since 2004.
Despite regional concern over the plant in the aftermath of Fukushima, nuclear power remains popular in the commune of Fessenheim
itself, where the plant has brought prosperity and employs many locals.
Fessenheim
Fessenheim is a commune in the Haut-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France.It is known for:* its hydroelectric power plant on the Grand Canal d'Alsace ;...
commune
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
in the Haut-Rhin
Haut-Rhin
Haut-Rhin is a département of the Alsace region of France, named after the Rhine river. Its name means Upper Rhine. Haut-Rhin is the smaller and less populated of the two departements of Alsace, although is still densely populated compared to the rest of France.-Subdivisions:The department...
department in Alsace
Alsace
Alsace is the fifth-smallest of the 27 regions of France in land area , and the smallest in metropolitan France. It is also the seventh-most densely populated region in France and third most densely populated region in metropolitan France, with ca. 220 inhabitants per km²...
in north-eastern France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, 15 km (9.3 mi) north east of the Mulhouse
Mulhouse
Mulhouse |mill]] hamlet) is a city and commune in eastern France, close to the Swiss and German borders. With a population of 110,514 and 278,206 inhabitants in the metropolitan area in 2006, it is the largest city in the Haut-Rhin département, and the second largest in the Alsace region after...
urban area, within 1.5 km (0.93205910497471 mi) of the border with Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, and approximately 40 km (24.9 mi) from Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. Nearly 100,000 people live within 20 km (12.4 mi) of the plant, which is located in the third most densely populated region in Metropolitan France
Metropolitan France
Metropolitan France is the part of France located in Europe. It can also be described as mainland France or as the French mainland and the island of Corsica...
and in the centre of the European Backbone
Blue Banana
The Blue Banana is a discontinuous corridor of urbanisation in Western Europe, with a population of around 110 million. It stretches approximately from North West England in the north to Milan in the south...
. As of March 2011, it is the oldest operational nuclear power plant in France.
There have been ongoing concerns about the seismic
Seismology
Seismology is the scientific study of earthquakes and the propagation of elastic waves through the Earth or through other planet-like bodies. The field also includes studies of earthquake effects, such as tsunamis as well as diverse seismic sources such as volcanic, tectonic, oceanic,...
safety of the plant and, following the 2011 Fukushima I nuclear accidents, on March 21 the local Information and Oversight Commission for the plant called for the seismic risk to be re-evaluated based on a 7.2 magnitude earthquake; the plant was originally designed for a 6.7 magnitude earthquake. The Swiss cantons
Cantons of Switzerland
The 26 cantons of Switzerland are the member states of the federal state of Switzerland. Each canton was a fully sovereign state with its own borders, army and currency from the Treaty of Westphalia until the establishment of the Swiss federal state in 1848...
of Bâle-Ville, Bâle-Campagne and Jura
Canton of Jura
The Republic and Canton of the Jura , also known as the Canton of Jura or Canton Jura, is one of the cantons of Switzerland. It is the newest of the 26 Swiss cantons, located in the northwestern part of Switzerland. The capital is Delémont...
have also said that they are to going to ask the French government to suspend the operation of Fessenheim while undertaking a safety review based on the lessons learned from Japan. The German state
States of Germany
Germany is made up of sixteen which are partly sovereign constituent states of the Federal Republic of Germany. Land literally translates as "country", and constitutionally speaking, they are constituent countries...
of Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg is one of the 16 states of Germany. Baden-Württemberg is in the southwestern part of the country to the east of the Upper Rhine, and is the third largest in both area and population of Germany's sixteen states, with an area of and 10.7 million inhabitants...
has called for a temporary closure in line with the 3-month shut down of pre-1981 plants ordered in Germany. On March 29 the Franche-Comté Regional Council
Franche-Comté Regional Council
The Franche-Comté Regional Council is the Conseil régional of Franche-Comté . It is chaired by Marie-Marguerite Dufay . It includes 43 members.-By Department:*19 councillors for Doubs*10 councillors for Jura*10 councillors for Haute-Saône...
went further and voted for the plant to be closed, the first time a French Regional Council has passed such a vote. On April 6 the Grand Council of Bâle-Ville
Grand Council of Basel-Stadt
The Grand Council of Basel-Stadt is the legislature of the canton of Basel-Stadt, in Switzerland. Basel-Stadt has a unicameral legislature. The Grand Council has 100 seats, with members elected every four years...
also voted for the plant to be closed as did the council
Municipal council
A municipal council is the local government of a municipality. Specifically the term can refer to the institutions of various countries that can be translated by this term...
of the Urban Community of Strasbourg
Urban Community of Strasbourg
The Urban Community of Strasbourg , also known by its French initials CUS, is the intercommunal structure gathering the city of Strasbourg and some of its suburbs....
on April 12. The European Parliament's Green members
European Green Party
The European Green Party is the Green political party at European level. As such it is a federation of green parties in Europe.-History:...
are also supporting the closure demands and are referring the matter to the European Commission
European Commission
The European Commission is the executive body of the European Union. The body is responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the Union's treaties and the general day-to-day running of the Union....
. Around 3,800 people demonstrated near the plant on April 8; a larger demonstration is expected on April 25. The group Stop Fessenheim have collected over 63,000 signatures through an online petition
Petition
A petition is a request to do something, most commonly addressed to a government official or public entity. Petitions to a deity are a form of prayer....
calling for Fessenheim's closure, and, on April 18, began a 366-day 'fasting
Fasting
Fasting is primarily the act of willingly abstaining from some or all food, drink, or both, for a period of time. An absolute fast is normally defined as abstinence from all food and liquid for a defined period, usually a single day , or several days. Other fasts may be only partially restrictive,...
relay' outside the préfecture office in Colmar
Colmar
Colmar is a commune in the Haut-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France.It is the capital of the department. Colmar is also the seat of the highest jurisdiction in Alsace, the appellate court....
.
Description
The Fessenheim plant has two pressurized water reactorPressurized 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, each generating each 900MWe
MWE
MWE may refer to:*Manufacturer's Weight Empty*McDermott Will & Emery*Midwest Express, an airline*Merowe Airport - IATA code*Multiword expressionMWe may refer to:*Megawatt electrical...
. Construction at Fessenheim began in 1970 and the plant was commissioned in 1977. It is built alongside the Grand Canal d'Alsace
Grand Canal d'Alsace
The Grand Canal of Alsace is a canal in eastern France, channeling the Upper Rhine river. It is 50 kilometers long between Kembs and Vogelgrun, and provides access to the region from the Rhine River, Basel in Switzerland, and the North Sea for barges of up to 1,350 metric tons...
, a canal
Canal
Canals are man-made channels for water. There are two types of canal:#Waterways: navigable transportation canals used for carrying ships and boats shipping goods and conveying people, further subdivided into two kinds:...
channelling the Upper Rhine
Upper Rhine
The Upper Rhine is the section of the Rhine in the Upper Rhine Plain between Basel, Switzerland and Bingen, Germany. The river is marked by Rhine-kilometers 170 to 529 ....
river, from which it draws 2.5 km³ (0.599781896510717 cu mi) of cooling water annually.
The plant permanently employs around 700 staff and 200 contractors, and indirectly supports a further 600 to 2,000 people during maintenance operations. The plant contributes around 16,000,000 euro
Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
in tax to the various local authorities, including providing the commune
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
of Fessenheim with 70% of its revenue.
In October 2009 the plant's third 10-yearly inspection on reactor 1 began, in advance of a decision on whether the plant can continue to operate for a further decade. A full decision is expected in 2011, but permission to restart reactor 1 in the interim has been given. The second reactor is due to be shut down for inspection from mid April 2011. The local Information and Oversight Commission has asked GSIEN
Groupement des scientifiques pour l'information sur l'énergie nucléaire
The Groupement de scientifiques pour l'information sur l'énergie nucléaire GSIEN is a multidisciplinary not-for-profit association of independent scientists who aim to spread information about the nuclear industry in France founded on December 15, 1975.In addition to providing a structure within...
to conduct a parallel independent inspection alongside the official inspection by the Nuclear Safety Authority
Autorité 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...
.
Selected incidents and accidents
On April 10, 2011, operator error led to one of the reactors automatically shutting down. The incident had no further consequences and was rated at 'level 1' on the International Nuclear Event ScaleInternational Nuclear Event Scale
The International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale was introduced in 1990 by the International Atomic Energy Agency in order to enable prompt communication of safety significance information in case of nuclear accidents....
(INES).
On December 27, 2009, a 'level 1' incident on the INES occurred when plant matter was drawn into the Essential Service Water System intake, reducing the flow rate, although the flow remained sufficient to avoid endangering the security of the plant.
On January 24, 2004, the water in the primary circuit water of Unit 1 was contaminated by radioactive resin from a system used to filter out boron, quickly blocking several filters and endangering the integrity of the joints on the pumps. Seven EDF employees inhaled radioactive dust during the replacement of the filters, and another was slightly irradiated during the clean-up the following month. The incident was categorised at 'level 1' on the INES.
Risks
Due to its location, the Fessenheim plant is subject to particular risks from seismic activity and flooding, and there is an ongoing debate about its adequacy of its design in these respects.Seismicity
The majority of the Haut-RhinHaut-Rhin
Haut-Rhin is a département of the Alsace region of France, named after the Rhine river. Its name means Upper Rhine. Haut-Rhin is the smaller and less populated of the two departements of Alsace, although is still densely populated compared to the rest of France.-Subdivisions:The department...
département, including Fessenheim, are classified in a zone of moderate seismicity, however the southern third is in a medium risk zone. The most recent earthquake in this zone, with a magnitude 4.7, took place in this southern third at Sierentz
Sierentz
Sierentz is a commune in the Haut-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France. It is located roughly halfway between Mulhouse and Basel; both are easily accessed by train from its station....
in July 1980. The last major earthquake in the region was the 1356 Basel earthquake
1356 Basel earthquake
The Basel earthquake of 18 October 1356 is the most significant seismological event to have occurred in Central Europe in recorded history and may have had a Mw magnitude as strong as 7.1....
, estimated to have had a Mw magnitude
Moment magnitude scale
The moment magnitude scale is used by seismologists to measure the size of earthquakes in terms of the energy released. The magnitude is based on the seismic moment of the earthquake, which is equal to the rigidity of the Earth multiplied by the average amount of slip on the fault and the size of...
of up to 7.1.
A report commissioned by the Swiss canton of Bâle-Ville, published in 2007, concluded that the previous seismic evaluations undertaken by both EDF and, to a lesser extent, by the Institut de radioprotection et de sûreté nucléaire
Institut de radioprotection et de sûreté nucléaire
The French Institut de radioprotection et de sûreté nucléaire is a public official establishment with an industrial and commercial aspect created by the AFSSE Act and by the February 22, 2002 decreed n°2002-254...
(Radioprotection and Nuclear Safety Institute, IRSN) had underestimated the risks involved. In particular, although the location of the fault in the Rhine Rift Valley
Upper Rhine Plain
The Upper Rhine Plain, Rhine Rift Valley or Upper Rhine Graben is a major rift, straddling the border between France and Germany. It forms part of the European Cenozoic Rift System, which extends across central Europe...
that led to the 1356 Basel earthquake was sufficiently well known for national and regional purposes, its location was not known precisely enough to evaluate a particular site. Studies conducted by other scientists have, for example, reached different conclusions about which faults might have been involved in the 1356 earthquake, its magnitude (ranging from 6.0 to 7.1 on the moment magnitude scale
Moment magnitude scale
The moment magnitude scale is used by seismologists to measure the size of earthquakes in terms of the energy released. The magnitude is based on the seismic moment of the earthquake, which is equal to the rigidity of the Earth multiplied by the average amount of slip on the fault and the size of...
), and the distance from the fault to the plant (ranging from 2 km (1.2 mi) to 40 km (24.9 mi) away, compared to the distances of 34 km (21.1 mi) and 29 km (18 mi) used by EDF and the IRSN respectively). EDF also failed to take into account the possibility of a moderate local earthquake, which may have the potential to do greater damage than one which is larger but more distant, and the report was also critical of some aspects of the RFS 2001-01 assessment requirements. The report found that the design standards in force when the plant was built were similar to those that currently apply to present-day public buildings, the plant had been designed to accommodate movement, but that it was not possible to determine whether or not the safety margins used would be adequate if a more realistic seismic evaluation were to be used.
On March 11, 2011 the local Information and Oversight Commission announced that is was commissioning two independent second opinions, to be delivered as soon as possible, one on 'the safety of the plant in the event of an earthquake of magnitude 7.2, corresponding to the new seismic reference point proposed by the Swiss experts', the other on the 'redundancy of the cooling systems' in case of flooding. GSIEN
Groupement des scientifiques pour l'information sur l'énergie nucléaire
The Groupement de scientifiques pour l'information sur l'énergie nucléaire GSIEN is a multidisciplinary not-for-profit association of independent scientists who aim to spread information about the nuclear industry in France founded on December 15, 1975.In addition to providing a structure within...
has been commissioned to produce one of the reports.
Flood
Although situated around 8 m (26.2 ft) below the level of the adjacent Grand Canal d'Alsace, it is not clear whether, taking into account the calculation methods in the 1960s, the design took adequate account the consequences of a breech in the canal. In its initial report following the 1999 Blayais Nuclear Power Plant flood1999 Blayais Nuclear Power Plant flood
The 1999 Blayais Nuclear Power Plant flood was a flood that took place on the evening of December 27, 1999. It was caused when a combination of the tide and high winds led to the sea walls of the Blayais Nuclear Power Plant in France being overwhelmed...
, the Institute for Nuclear Protection and Safety (now part of the Radioprotection and Nuclear Safety Institute
Institut de radioprotection et de sûreté nucléaire
The French Institut de radioprotection et de sûreté nucléaire is a public official establishment with an industrial and commercial aspect created by the AFSSE Act and by the February 22, 2002 decreed n°2002-254...
) called for the risk of flooding at Fessenheim to be re-examined due to the presence of the canal.
On March 11, 2011 the local Information and Oversight Commission announced that it has commissioned an urgent report on the 'redundancy of the cooling systems' in case of flooding and that another report 'to determine the areas to strengthen to guarantee the safety of the plant in the event of a breech in the canal', which had already started, is expected in June 2011.
Opposition
Opposition to the Fessenheim plant dates back to the 1970s when its construction was proposed, and in June 1977 the pirate radio station Radio Verte Fessenheim (Radio Green Fessenheim) began broadcasting against the plant.Although the plant was built with a 40 year operational life, on the plant's 30th anniversary, the anti nuclear group sortir du nucléaire
Sortir du nucléaire (France)
Sortir du nucléaire is a French federation of about 800 anti-nuclear groups.Founded in 1997 as a result of the success of the struggle against the Superphénix, the organisation regularly campaigns against the use of nuclear power in France and in the world.In September 2007, Sortir du nucléaire...
called for the plant's immediate closure. The Tri-national Nuclear Protection Action Group ATPN (Action Tri nationale de Protection Nucléaire), with members from France, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
is also campaigning for the plant to be closed and in 2008 it unsuccessfully applied to the Strasbourg Administrative Tribunal (Tribunal Administratif de Strasbourg) to order its closure. On March 9, 2011, a further application to close the plant because of the seismic
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...
, flood
Flood
A flood is an overflow of an expanse of water that submerges land. The EU Floods directive defines a flood as a temporary covering by water of land not normally covered by water...
ing and other risks was rejected by the tribunal.
A local association called Stop Fessenheim was formed in October 2005 and registered in the Canton of Munster, after having operated informally since 2004.
Despite regional concern over the plant in the aftermath of Fukushima, nuclear power remains popular in the commune of Fessenheim
Fessenheim
Fessenheim is a commune in the Haut-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France.It is known for:* its hydroelectric power plant on the Grand Canal d'Alsace ;...
itself, where the plant has brought prosperity and employs many locals.
Popular culture
- In the 1976 American film The EnforcerThe Enforcer (1976 film)The Enforcer is a 1976 American film, and the third in the Dirty Harry film series. Directed by James Fargo, it stars Clint Eastwood as Inspector "Dirty" Harry Callahan, Tyne Daly as Inspector Kate Moore and DeVeren Bookwalter as terrorist leader/main antagonist Bobby Maxwell.-Plot:In Marin County,...
, the third in the Dirty Harry film seriesDirty Harry (film series)Dirty Harry is the name of a series of films and novels starring fictional San Francisco Police Department Homicide Division Inspector "Dirty" Harry Callahan, portrayed by Clint Eastwood...
, two bombs are said to have exploded at the Fessenheim Nuclear Power Plant.
See also
- Nuclear power in FranceNuclear power in FranceNuclear power is the primary source of electric power in France. In 2004, 425.8 TWh out of the country's total production of 540.6 TWh of electricity was from nuclear power , the highest percentage in the world....
- Anti-nuclear movement in FranceAnti-nuclear movement in FranceIn the 1970s, an anti-nuclear movement in France, consisting of citizens' groups and political action committees, emerged. Between 1975 and 1977, some 175,000 people protested against nuclear power in ten demonstrations....
- 1999 Blayais Nuclear Power Plant flood1999 Blayais Nuclear Power Plant floodThe 1999 Blayais Nuclear Power Plant flood was a flood that took place on the evening of December 27, 1999. It was caused when a combination of the tide and high winds led to the sea walls of the Blayais Nuclear Power Plant in France being overwhelmed...
- 2011 Fukushima I nuclear accidents