goingcritical:saint-laurent-a1France · Power reactor
Saint-Laurent A1
Status: Shut down reached first criticality January 9, 1969 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: Saint-Laurent-des-Eaux, Loir-et-Cher
First UNGG gas-graphite reactor at Saint-Laurent-des-Eaux on the Loire. First went critical on 9 January 1969. Site of a partial fuel-melt incident in 1969 (rated INES 4). Permanently shut down 18 April 1990.
Details
| Design | UNGG (gas-graphite, natural-uranium graphite-moderated, CO2-cooled) |
| Electrical output | 390 MWe |
Milestone history
- Announced —
- Construction start January 1, 1963
- Fuel load —
- First criticality January 9, 1969
- Grid connection March 14, 1969
- Commercial operation —