goingcritical:cruas-1France · Power reactor
Cruas-1
Status: Operating critical since April 2, 1983 Reactor status full glossary → Announced Publicly announced — a site and design are proposed, but construction has not begun. Site preparation Early site and civil works are under way; the first safety-related ("nuclear") concrete has not yet been poured. Under construction Formal construction has begun, marked by the first nuclear concrete. Fuel loaded Nuclear fuel has been loaded into the core. The reactor is fuelled but has not yet gone critical. Critical Has reached first criticality — a self-sustaining chain reaction, usually at low power — but is not yet connected to the grid. Grid connected Synchronised to the electrical grid and exporting power for the first time, but still in commissioning and power-ascension testing — not yet in commercial service. In commercial operation — the operator has formally declared the unit in regular commercial service. Shut down Permanently shut down and no longer generating; may be defuelled, undergoing decommissioning, or preserved in place. Canceled Abandoned before completion.
Site: Cruas-Meysse, Ardèche
First of four CP2-series 900 MWe PWRs at the Cruas-Meysse plant on the Rhône. The Cruas station is known for the large fresco of a child holding the Earth painted on its cooling towers.
Details
| Design | 900 MWe CP2 PWR |
| Electrical output | 915 MWe |
Milestone history
- Announced —
- Construction start August 1, 1978
- Fuel load —
- First criticality April 2, 1983
- Grid connection April 29, 1983
- Commercial operation April 2, 1984