An overview of nuclear power stations in France and neighbouring countries: from the origin of electricity production to the mapping of power stations and the risks of nuclear accidents, zoomed in with maps, links and figures.
How does a nuclear power plant work?
There’s a lot of information available on the subject. Here’s a video and some additional links to help you understand how a nuclear power plant works.
Video explanation
Understand in less than 2 minutes with this extract from the programme C’est Pas Sorcier:
You can watch the full 27-minute programmehere.
Another educational video worth checking out on the subject is that of the Réveilleur channel , which covers the subject in detail for around forty minutes of how nuclear power stations work.
Nuclear power stations in France
France’s nuclear history officially began after the Second World War, with the creation of the Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) in 1945.
to pursue scientific and technical research into the use of atomic energy in various fields of industry, science and defence.
Extract from the creation order, Wikipedia
The first five-year plan for electricity generation was passed by Parliament in 1952, with the aim of accelerating the development of nuclear power.
Four years later, in 1956, the first experimental 40 megawatt reactor, named G1, was built on the Marcoule site. Two more powerful reactors followed, G2 and G3, until 1959.
After these experiments, the nuclear fleet was gradually developed on an industrial scale:
With six reactors commissioned up until 1971, it accounted for 5% of France’s electricity production. By the end of the last century, it had grown to 58 reactors at 18 sites, accounting for around 75% of the country’s electricity production to date.
France now has the world’s second-largest nuclear fleet, after the United States with its 99 reactors, but is the country most dependent on nuclear generation, which accounts for 3/4 of its electricity, compared with 1/5 in the United States.
Internationally, France alone produces around 16% of the world’s nuclear power.
Nuclear maps of France
EDF, Electricité de France, is the company that manages France’s nuclear power plants.
The official website provides figures and information maps on nuclear power plants and their electricity production in France.
Location of nuclear power plants
Distribution of power plants in France, 2021
Nuclear generation by region
In 2019, four regions will account for 80% of France’s nuclear power generation: Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (22.4%), Grand Est (21.8%), Centre val-de-Loire (19.2%) and Normandie (17.6%).
Source: EDF/RTE
Map of nuclear risks in France
And what about the nuclear risks in your town or village?
Published in 2017 but still relevant today, Greenpeace France proposes a map to assess the risks we face, based on an address and a comparison with two past events, the Chernobyl and Fukushima nuclear disasters.
In France, 66% of people live within 75 km of a nuclear reactor. With the interactive map we are making available this week, we can take a closer look at the nuclear risk posed by the 58 reactors in France…
All you have to do isenter the postcode of the location of your choice, then select the commune from the list that appears.
This is followed by an animation which, once your point has been located on the map, draws three concentric circles, corresponding to the danger zones in the event of anuclear accident:
- The 20-kilometre PPI(special intervention plan) zone
- The 100-kilometre Fukushima zone
- The 300-kilometre Chernobyl zone
In addition, the number of inhabitants affected by two reference zones is indicated.
The map of nuclear risks is taken from the Greenpeace France website.
Nuclear power plants
Nuclear monitor offers you an interactive map showing the location of nuclear power stations, the rivers and tributaries where they cool down and overall production.
For each power station, an overview is provided, showing the number of reactors, their operating status, any faults and their generating capacity.
For direct access to the interactive map showing the status of power plants in France, go to the home page where all the information is integrated:
Other nuclear energy maps
There are other maps and inventories of nuclear sites in France and around the world, including power plants but also other information on nuclear sites and radioactivity measurements by location.
Map of radioactivity in France
The RNM, the French national network for measuring environmental radioactivity, provides an information map showing radioactive analyses and locations.
2 types of information are available on the RNM interactive map:
- Types of measurement (air, water, soil, etc.)
- Places where radioactivity is present (army, laboratory, treatment centre, etc.)
An advanced mode also allows you to search for more targeted measurements, including by organisation, location, date and more:
To carry out your search, visit the website of the national radioactivity measurement network.
Map of nuclear sites
Produced by the Sortir du nucléaire association, this map contains a wealth of information on nuclear power plants in France, including :
- Nuclear power reactors (operating or shut down)
- Uranium mining tailings
- Nuclear fuel plants
- Radioactive waste storage and disposal
- Atomic weapons activities
- Nuclear strike force command centres
- Nuclear research or food irradiation facilities
- EHV (Extra High Voltage) lines at 400,000 volts
There are several versions of this nuclear map in France, in different formats, which you can download here:
In addition, an interactive version lets you select the information of your choice and zoom in on a specific area or location.
It can be accessed online for a complete and active overview of nuclear sites in France:
Map of nuclear power in the world and by country
Beyond France, if you want to find out about the state of the world’s nuclear power plants, country by country, the Swiss nuclear forum has a dedicated site, Nuclearplanet.
Using a map interface, you can search for a country and obtain information about its nuclear power plants:
- Status (project, under construction, in service, etc.)
- Number of units, total power
- Indicators (share of nuclear power, production, etc.)
To carry out your search, go to the Nuclear Planet online space:
Related link
- Nuclear alert, IPP and iodine tablets
- Electricity in France and Europe: Production, consumption and tourism