Bugey Nuclear Power Plant

Bugey Nuclear Power Plant
Bugey Nuclear Power Plant
	Bugey Nuclear Power Plant
	Wikimedia \| © OpenStreetMap
Country	France
Coordinates	45°47′54″N 5°16′15″E / 45.79833°N 5.27083°ECoordinates: 45°47′54″N 5°16′15″E / 45.79833°N 5.27083°E
Status	Operational
Construction began	1964
Commission date	April 15, 1972
Owner(s)	EDF
Operator(s)	EDF
Employees	1,703 (2017);
Nuclear power station
Reactors	5
Reactor type	PWR
Power generation
Units operational	2 × 910 MW; 2 × 880 MW
Make and model	pressurized water reactor (4)
Units decommissioned	1 × 540 MW
Nameplate capacity	3580 MW
Capacity factor	78.6%
Annual net output	25,654 GW·h
External links
Website	edf.fr/ ... /Bugey.html
Commons	Related media on Commons
	[edit on Wikidata]

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.

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 1	UNGG (gas-cooled)	540 MW	555 MW	December 1, 1965	April 15, 1972	July 1, 1972	May 27, 1994
Bugey 2	CP0 (PWR)	910 MW	945 MW	November 1, 1972	May 10, 1978	March 1, 1979	Qualified to operate until April, 2021
Bugey 3	CP0 (PWR)	910 MW	945 MW	September 1, 1973	September 21, 1978	March 1, 1979	Qualified to operate until April, 2024
Bugey 4	CP0 (PWR)	880 MW	917 MW	June 1, 1974	March 8, 1979	July 1, 1979	Qualified to operate until December, 2021
Bugey 5	CP0 (PWR)	880 MW	917 MW	July 1, 1974	July 31, 1979	January 30, 1980	Qualified to operate until June, 2022