--- title: "Nuclear Power Plant Shut Down by Furious Jellyfish" description: "Over the weekend, a huge swarm of jellyfish forced the Gravelines Nuclear Power Station in France to take four of its six reactors offline." date: "2025-08-13" modified: "2025-08-13" authors: - name: "Joe Wilkins" job_title: "Correspondent" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/jwilkins" url: "https://futurism.com/nuclear-power-jellyfish-france" categories: - "Energy" - "Nuclear Fusion" - "Renewable Energy" - "Science & Energy" tags: - "france" - "Nuclear Energy" - "oceans" --- # Nuclear Power Plant Shut Down by Furious Jellyfish ![Over the weekend, a huge swarm of jellyfish forced the Gravelines Nuclear Power Station in France to take four of its six reactors offline.]() *\Image: Getty / Futurism\* Since its inception, nuclear energy has faced a host of opposition, from [oil conglomerates]() to well-intentioned [anti-nuclear-weapons activists]() to [environmental groups](). As it turns out, even ocean critters are getting in on the movement. Over the weekend, a swarm of angry jellyfish forced the Gravelines Nuclear Power Station in France — one of Europe's largest — to take four of its six reactors offline. As reported by the [*New York Times*](), the "massive and unpredictable presence of jellyfish" was first detected in the filters of the plant's massive ocean water pumping stations, which are used to cool the reactors. While water-cooled nuclear plants typically have screens preventing ocean life from getting sucked into the cooling system, a large enough swarm of jellyfish can block the screens, rendering the pumps useless. Even worse, the *NYT* reports, with enough pressure, the jellies can "liquefy into a 'gel'" and pass through the screen, wreaking havoc on the cooling system itself. Experts are warning it's a growing problem as global warming allows the critters to proliferate. "The issue of jellyfish and power generation disruption remains a global challenge, as blooms of jellyfish are becoming more frequent and widespread due to factors such as overfishing, climate change and increased coastal development," the Oceanic Invertebrate Research Institute [warns on its website](). Indeed, as sea temperature levels rise, massive jellyfish swarms have become a [major hazard]() for marine-based industries and ecological management. Described opportunistic organisms — a fancy word for pests, if you're feeling extra cruel about the fascinating invertebrates — ocean jellies [can thrive]() in the kinds of low oxygen, high salt, and high temperature environments that are becoming increasingly common as climate change takes its toll. Unfortunately for us, the gentle creatures wreak havoc on fishing nets, aquaculture operations, and power plants. A [2015 survey]() of the socioecological harm of jellyfish blooms along the Northern California current found that 67 percent of commercial fishers had their operations disrupted — and it's only gotten worse from there. Another factor increasing the populations of nuisance jellyfish is [human settlement and development]() along ocean coasts. As infrastructure like freight docks, marinas, and wind turbines becomes more commonplace, jellyfish gain access to even more surfaces on which to mature as polyps, the [early growth stage]() before the filter-feeders cut loose and drift into the current. The *NYT* notes that the rise of [monster jellyfish swarms]() has had a considerable impact on nuclear plants around the world, causing shutdowns in Japan, Scotland, Israel, and Sweden. **More on marine life:** [*It Turns Out Sharks Make Noises, and Here's What They Sound Like*]() ## Author At Futurism, I focus on the intersection of technology and power — examining the economics, history, and politics behind today’s dystopian headlines. As a writer, I’m interested in topics ranging from AI’s impact on labor to startups nobody asked for. My prior work includes bylines in Jacobin, Verso, and Blue Labyrinths. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Forbes, The Guardian, MIT Technology Review, Time, The Nation, Mother Jones, The Verge, and Wired. I grew up in Michigan, attending Central Michigan University as well as Ball State University, where I earned a master of music. I now live in Brooklyn with my girlfriend and our cat Ziti. On weekends, you can find me hunched over a cold pint arguing geopolitics with the other transplants. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()