Tricastin

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

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: 3,660 MWe.
Unit Type Model Net MWe Construction Grid Commercial Op Shutdown Status
Tricastin 1 PWR CP1 915 1974-11-01 1980-05-31 1980-12-01 Operational
Tricastin 2 PWR CP1 915 1974-12-01 1980-08-07 1980-12-01 Operational
Tricastin 3 PWR CP1 915 1975-04-01 1981-02-10 1981-05-11 Operational
Tricastin 4 PWR CP1 915 1975-05-01 1981-06-12 1981-11-01 Operational
Capacity, milestones and suppliers
Unit Design MWe Gross MWe Thermal MWt First Criticality Reactor Supplier Turbine Supplier Notes
Tricastin 1 915 955 2,785 1980-02-21 FRAMATOME ALSTOM
Tricastin 2 915 955 2,785 1980-07-22 FRAMATOME ALSTOM
Tricastin 3 915 955 2,785 1980-11-29 FRAMATOME ALSTOM
Tricastin 4 915 955 2,785 1981-05-31 FRAMATOME ALSTOM
Lifetime performance, through 2025
Unit Electricity Supplied Load Factor Energy Availability Operating Factor
Tricastin 1 261.2 TWh 71.6% 75.4% 79.0%
Tricastin 2 262.8 TWh 72.3% 75.3% 78.3%
Tricastin 3 262.9 TWh 73.3% 75.8% 78.3%
Tricastin 4 262.8 TWh 73.9% 78.1% 80.4%
Operator: ÉLECTRICITÉ DE FRANCE
Owner: ÉLECTRICITÉ DE FRANCE
Source: IAEA Power Reactor Information System (PRIS), as of 2026-10-19.

Fuel Cycle Facilities

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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.
10 facilities: 4 in operation, 1 shutdown, 3 decommissioning, 1 decommissioned, 1 under construction.
Facility Type Scale Design Capacity Operated Status Operator
Comurhex Pierrelatte (UF6) Conversion to UF6 Commercial 14000 t HM/year 1961– In Operation New Areva
Areva NC W Plant Re-Conversion to U3O8 (Rep. U) Commercial 14000 t HM/year 1984– In Operation Orano
ORANO TU5 Plant Re-Conversion to U3O8 (Rep. U) Commercial 1600 t HM/year 1995– In Operation Orano
Georges Besse II Uranium Enrichment Commercial 7500 MTSWU/year 2011– In Operation Orano
Comurhex Pierrelatte (Rep. U) Conversion to UF6 Commercial 350 t HM/year 1976– Shutdown New Areva
Eurodif (Georges Besse) Uranium Enrichment Commercial 10800 MTSWU/year 1979–2011 Decommissioning Orano
Framatome - Pierrelatte Fuel Fabrication (U Pellet, Pin, FA) Commercial 500 t HM/year 1986–1999 Decommissioned Framatome
TU2 Cogema Conversion to UO2 Commercial 350 t HM/year 1988– Decommissioning Orano
TU2 Cogema Reprocessing Line Re-Conversion to U3O8 (Rep. U) Commercial 1200 t HM/year 1988– Decommissioning Orano
Comurhex II - Pierrelatte (UF6) Conversion to UF6 Commercial 15000 t HM/year 2018– Under Construction New Areva
Source: IAEA Nuclear Fuel Cycle Facilities Database (NFCFDB), as of 2026-10-13.

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.

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:
Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, 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: Tricastin Nuclear Power Plant.

Tricastin is a nuclear site beside the Donzère-Mondragon canal in southeastern France, near Pierrelatte and Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux, in the Drôme department. It has four pressurized water reactors of the CP1 design, supplied by Framatome, and fuel cycle plants on the wider site.

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Construction began on unit 1 in November 1974, unit 2 in December 1974, unit 3 in April 1975 and unit 4 in May 1975, and the units were first connected to the grid between May 1980 and June 1981. The Eurodif gaseous diffusion enrichment plant ran from 1979 to 2012. In July 2008, about 18,000 liters of uranium solution overflowed from a tank, and some of it reached the ground; the event was rated level 1 on the International Nuclear Event Scale.