Nuclear power and jellyfish

“The dragonfly” is a blog on nature and business, coordinated by Sylvie Goulard

Many people pretend that we can ignore climate change and the consequences of hotter temperature. Not only do they not care about nature, though it is obviously invaluable; they’ve become more and more assertive in putting “competitiveness first.” They oppose ecology, as the passion of a bunch of leftist dreamers, as well as business.

Moreover, certainly in France, but even increasingly in Germany and recently in Italy, they’ve been promoting nuclear power plants as “the“ CO2-friendly solution that will provide adequate electricity, safeguard our sovereignty, and reduce energy costs (without too much effort). As global competition is getting tougher, they make some valid points. But what happened this summer in Northern France reminds us that climate-related issues are more complex than some pretend. Though it’s a true story, it sounds like a tale from Jean de La Fontaine (or Aesop, in ancient Greece) where animals remind humans that they are sometimes misguided.

On August 11, the managers of the French Gravelines nuclear power plant were forced to shut it down suddenly. This site, one of the largest in France, is strategic for a densely populated industrial region in the North of the country.  It includes six reactors, producing around 900 Megawatts each (5.5 Gigawatts in total), and is slated to  add two new EPR reactors producing an additional 1600 Megawatts. The cooling system, which relies on water from the North Sea, was nearly brought to a standstill by an invasion of… jellyfish.

The outermost filters were completely obstructed, but fortunately the animals were blocked further on in their journey with no consequences for nuclear safety. Nevertheless, four units out of six were shut down. For reasons I won’t go into here, it’s never easy and always very costly to abruptly stop a nuclear power plant. In this case, because of the (frequent) maintenance work on the two other units, the intrusion of jellyfish actually forced the French energy company EDF to suspend full production from the Gravelines site. Some days later, one unit was functional again, but full production could only resume step by step. One can say that there was no harm done, no big deal. I don’t think so. The jellyfish are sending us four messages.

1. Climate change is real and has already had serious consequences for human activity. There is no Planet B, no way to ignore the challenges we’re facing, no miracle in sight. Respect for nature and prosperity go hand in hand. Public authorities and private companies should work together more actively to develop solutions for climate mitigation and adaptation, as well as nature conservation. No one should tolerate demagogic politicians and greedy CEOs anymore as they continue to destroy the planet when scientists have been sounding the alarm for years.

2. Science matters. When the experts of IPBES (the equivalent to IPCC for nature) identified five pressures on the environment in 2019, they included the multiplication of invasive species, in addition to (1) climate change, (2) change of the use of land and sea such as deforestation or artificialization of soils, (3) direct exploitation (such as overfishing), and (4) pollution. This is not an anecdote. We have taken the example of jellyfish, but there are many others. Invasive insects and other living organisms are currently destroying cultures. The Xylella bacteria, for example, are responsible for the death of very old, precious olive trees in Apulia. The damage to the local economy is huge, and centuries of patient human work has been destroyed. In the building sector, property owners and developers are facing attacks from termites that dramatically reduce the value of real estate. Each year, maritime companies transfer millions of cubic meters of tropical waters into temperate areas, spreading seagrass, shells, and exotic biodiversity around the world, often with severe consequences for endemic species.

3. Nature matters, especially for tourism, which represents an appreciable percentage of economic activity (roughly 10 % in Italy, 5% in France). Cities welcoming tourists need electricity. The abrupt stoppage of a large source of electricity in the summertime can create trouble for local people, but also for tourism-related business. What’s more, visitors want to enjoy beautiful places and clean, safe beaches. This summer, Spanish authorities were obliged to ban access to the seaside in several areas because of stunning, small, poisonous creatures - Glaucus atlanticus, also known as blue dragons. And do I need to remind you that human health is also impacted by new species of mosquitoes spreading chikungunya or dengue? In light of all this, the temperature increase in Europe should be a matter of concern. Forty-two degrees in Bordeaux and along the Atlantic coast, and more than 40 degrees in the Alps is not “summer as usual.” Governments that don’t care about climate mitigation and adaptation are not taking care of their own populations, particularly the most vulnerable. In the mid-term, they are also condemning tourism. Many regions of Europe that are currently attractive will simply be too hot in a decade or two.

4. Beyond invasive species, one of the main challenges we face with rising temperatures is water scarcity and droughts. EDF does not hide its concern: “Our main problem is water.” In July, the French power provider EDF was forced to stop another power plant in Golfech (South West of the country). The company could not discharge hot water from the cooling system into the Garonne River, as the temperature of the river was already too high to withstand an additional input from the plant. In the future, massive use of air conditioning during heat waves will intensify the pressure on nuclear power plants, at a time when water levels will already be very low. Nowadays, EDF manages to keep production under control; only part of the capacity is impacted by high temperatures. But the management is aware that, in the coming years, the issue will dramatically worsen. The French Cour des Comptes drafted a report warning that adaptation efforts are required. The total cost, specifically for upgrading nuclear power plants to withstand the impacts of climate change and related extreme events, could reach €600 million for the 2022–2038 period.

The jellyfish are warning us. We should listen.