Tricastin Nuclear Power Plant

Tricastin Nuclear Power Plant
The containment structures of the Tricastin NPC
Location of Tricastin Nuclear Power Plant in France
Official name	Centrale Nucléaire de Tricastin
Country	France
Location	Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux Pierrelatte Bollène Lapalud
Coordinates	44°19′47″N 4°43′56″E / 44.32972°N 4.73222°E / 44.32972; 4.73222Coordinates: 44°19′47″N 4°43′56″E / 44.32972°N 4.73222°E / 44.32972; 4.73222
Status	Operational
Construction began	1974
Commission date	December 1, 1980 (December 1, 1980)
Operator(s)	EDF
Nuclear power station
Reactor type	PWR
Reactor supplier	Framatome
Power generation
Units operational	4 x 955 MW
Make and model	Alstom
Units decommissioned	1 × 390 MW 1 × 450 MW
Nameplate capacity	3,820 MW
Capacity factor	75.0%
Annual output	25,105 GW·h

The Tricastin Nuclear Power Plant (French: Centrale Nucléaire du Tricastin) is a nuclear power plant consisting of 4 pressurized water reactors (PWRs) of CP1 type with 915 MW electrical power output each. The power plant is located in the south of France (Drôme and Vaucluse Department) at the Canal de Donzère-Mondragon near the Donzère-Mondragon Dam and the commune Pierrelatte.

The power plant is part of the widespread Tricastin Nuclear Site (see below), which was named after the historic Tricastin region. Three out of the four reactors on the site had been used until 2012 to power the Eurodif Uranium enrichment plant, which had been located on the site.

The Tricastin Nuclear Site (Site Nucléaire du Tricastin) is a collection of facilities run by Areva and EDF located on right bank of the Channel of Donzère-Mondragon (diversion canal of the Rhône River) south of the city of Valence (70 km upstream) and north of Avignon (65 km downstream). The site straddles the border between the departments Drôme (26) and Vaucluse (84), not far from the Gard (30) and Ardèche (07) departments, and lies near the communes of Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux, Pierrelatte (both Drôme department), Bollène and Lapalud (both Vaucluse Department).