Blayais

Technical specifications, photos, nearby jobs, and satellite map for Blayais.

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Reactor Data

Reactor Units

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Every power reactor at this site as listed in the IAEA Power Reactor Information System (PRIS): reactor type and model, net electrical capacity, grid connection and commercial operation dates, and current status.
4 units: 4 operational. Net capacity in service: 3,640 MWe.
Unit Type Model Net MWe Construction Grid Commercial Op Shutdown Status
Blayais 1 PWR CP1 910 1977-01-01 1981-06-12 1981-12-01 Operational
Blayais 2 PWR CP1 910 1977-01-01 1982-07-17 1983-02-01 Operational
Blayais 4 PWR CP1 910 1978-04-01 1983-05-16 1983-10-01 Operational
Blayais 3 PWR CP1 910 1978-04-01 1983-08-17 1983-11-14 Operational
Capacity, milestones and suppliers
Unit Design MWe Gross MWe Thermal MWt First Criticality Reactor Supplier Turbine Supplier Notes
Blayais 1 910 951 2,785 1981-05-20 FRAMATOME ALSTOM
Blayais 2 910 951 2,785 1982-06-28 FRAMATOME FRAMATOME
Blayais 4 910 951 2,785 1983-05-01 FRAMATOME ALSTOM
Blayais 3 910 951 2,785 1983-07-29 FRAMATOME ALSTOM
Lifetime performance, through 2025
Unit Electricity Supplied Load Factor Energy Availability Operating Factor
Blayais 1 253.5 TWh 71.9% 75.6% 76.9%
Blayais 2 262.1 TWh 76.0% 79.1% 79.8%
Blayais 4 249.7 TWh 73.6% 77.0% 79.1%
Blayais 3 256.6 TWh 76.0% 78.1% 78.8%
Operator: ÉLECTRICITÉ DE FRANCE
Owner: ÉLECTRICITÉ DE FRANCE
Source: IAEA Power Reactor Information System (PRIS), as of 2026-11-02.

Working Here

Per Diem Rates FY 2026

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Per diem covers lodging and meals & incidental expenses (M&IE) for government and contractor travel near this facility. Rates are from the U.S. State Department foreign per diem tables for FY 2026.
$220
Lodging/Night
$132
M&IE/Day
$352
Total/Day
France: rate for locations the State Department does not list separately
U.S. Department of State foreign per diem, for U.S. government and contractor travel.

Photos

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Photos of this facility from the NukeWorker photo gallery. Click the header or any photo to browse the full album.

Facility Map

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Interactive satellite map showing the facility's geographic location. Marker color indicates current status: green for online, red for offline, orange for reduced power. Click the header to open in Google Maps satellite view.

45.2561, -0.69235

Location & Contact

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Physical address, phone number, and website for this facility. Use the directions link to get driving directions via Google Maps.
Address:
Braud-et-Saint-Louis, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France
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Plant Facts

About This Site

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Written by NukeWorker from public records: facts that do not change. Operator, status and capacity come from the live data elsewhere on this page. Sources: Wikipedia: Blayais Nuclear Power Plant.

Blayais is a nuclear power plant on the Gironde estuary, near Blaye in the Gironde department of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, in southwestern France. The site lies in the commune of Braud-et-Saint-Louis and has four pressurized water reactor units of the CP1 design, supplied by Framatome.

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Construction of units 1 and 2 began in 1977, and units 3 and 4 followed in 1978. The units were first connected to the grid between June 1981 and August 1983. On 27 December 1999, a high tide and wind from extratropical storm Martin overtopped the sea walls and flooded parts of the site. Off-site power was lost and several safety systems were disabled, and the event was rated level 2 on the International Nuclear Event Scale.