goingcritical:marcoule-g2France · Power reactor
Marcoule G2
Status: Shut down reached first criticality July 21, 1958 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: Marcoule, Gard
Second gas-graphite reactor at Marcoule, a dual-purpose plutonium-production and power unit and a prototype for the later UNGG power reactors. First went critical on 21 July 1958. Permanently shut down 2 February 1980.
Details
| Design | Gas-graphite (natural-uranium, graphite-moderated, CO2-cooled) |
| Electrical output | 39 MWe |
Milestone history
- Announced —
- Construction start —
- Fuel load —
- First criticality July 21, 1958
- Grid connection —
- Commercial operation —