Marcoule
Reactor Data
Reactor Units
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.
2 units: 2 permanent shutdown.
| Unit | Type | Model | Net MWe | Construction | Grid | Commercial Op | Shutdown | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G-2 (Marcoule) | GCR | MAGNOX | 39 | 1955-03-01 | 1959-04-22 | 1959-04-23 | 1980-02-02 | Permanent Shutdown |
| G-3 (Marcoule) | GCR | GCR | 40 | 1956-03-01 | 1960-04-04 | 1960-04-05 | 1984-06-20 | Permanent Shutdown |
Capacity, milestones and suppliers
| Unit | Design MWe | Gross MWe | Thermal MWt | First Criticality | Reactor Supplier | Turbine Supplier | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G-2 (Marcoule) | 36 | 43 | 260 | 1958-07-21 | SOCIETE ALSACIENNE DE CONSTRUCTIONS MECANIQUES | SOCIETE ALSACIENNE DE CONSTRUCTIONS MECANIQUES | |
| G-3 (Marcoule) | 36 | 43 | 260 | 1959-06-11 | SOCIETE ALSACIENNE DE CONSTRUCTIONS MECANIQUES | RATEAU |
Lifetime performance, through 2025
| Unit | Electricity Supplied | Load Factor | Energy Availability | Operating Factor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| G-2 (Marcoule) | 0.9 TWh | 60.7% | 60.2% | 66.2% |
| G-3 (Marcoule) | 10.5 TWh | 75.1% | 74.6% | 78.8% |
Operator: COMPAGNIE GENERALE DES MATIERES NUCLEAIRES
Owner: Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique (80%) Electricité de France (20%); COMMISSARIAT A L'ENERGIE ATOMIQUE
Source: IAEA Power Reactor Information System (PRIS), as of 2026-10-19.
Fuel Cycle Facilities
Fuel cycle plants at this site, as listed in the IAEA Nuclear Fuel Cycle Facilities Database: what each plant does, its scale and design capacity, the years it operated, its current status and who operates it.
6 facilities: 3 in operation, 3 decommissioning.
| Facility | Type | Scale | Design Capacity | Operated | Status | Operator |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ISAI | Disposal (HLW) | Laboratory | 1989– | In Operation | Commissariat a L'energie Atomique (CEA) | |
| ATALANTE | Spent Fuel Reprocessing - aqueous route | Laboratory | 1992– | In Operation | Commissariat a L'energie Atomique (CEA) | |
| Melox | MOX fuel fabrication (Mox Powder, Pellet, Pin, FA) | Commercial | 195 t HM/year | 1995– | In Operation | Orano |
| Marcoule - UP1 | Spent Fuel Reprocessing - aqueous route | Commercial | 600 t HM/year | 1958–1997 | Decommissioning | Orano |
| Experimental Reprocessing Facility (Building 211) | Spent Fuel Reprocessing - aqueous route | Pilot plant | 5 t HM/year | 1960–1997 | Decommissioning | Orano |
| Atelier Pilote | Spent Fuel Reprocessing - aqueous route | Pilot plant | 6 t HM/year | 1988–1997 | Decommissioning | Commissariat a L'energie Atomique (CEA) |
Source: IAEA Nuclear Fuel Cycle Facilities Database (NFCFDB), as of 2026-10-13.
Working Here
Per Diem Rates FY 2026
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
Photos of this facility from the NukeWorker photo gallery. Click the header or any photo to browse the full album.
Facility Map
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.
44.1507, 4.71428
Location & Contact
Physical address, phone number, and website for this facility. Use the directions link to get driving directions via Google Maps.
Plant Facts
About This Site
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: Marcoule Nuclear Site.
Marcoule is a nuclear site on the Rhône in the Gard department, in the communes of Chusclan and Codolet near Bagnols-sur-Cèze, about 25 km northwest of Avignon. It includes gas-cooled reactors and fuel cycle plants.
Read more
Construction began in 1952, and the first reactor, G1, was completed on 7 January 1956 and shut down on 15 October 1968. The gas-cooled, graphite-moderated reactors G2 and G3 began construction in 1955 and 1956, were first connected to the grid in April 1959 and April 1960, and were permanently shut down in February 1980 and June 1984. The Melox MOX fuel plant began operating in 1995. On 12 September 2011, an explosion in a furnace melting low-level metallic waste at the Centraco facility killed one person and injured four.