On Monday, Greenpeace activists protested at the Gravelines nuclear power plant to highlight its vulnerability to rising sea levels. They launched zodiacs displaying banners and used kites and colored smoke to symbolize the threat of flooding. Some activists reached the plant’s dike but were quickly intercepted by police. The protest raised concerns over the environmental risks of constructing new reactors in a flood-prone area, prompting investigations into the incident by authorities.
On Monday morning, Greenpeace staged a protest at the Gravelines nuclear power plant to highlight concerns over potential marine flooding risks facing the facility, where plans are in place for two new EPR reactors, as observed by AFP reporters.
Around 9:00 a.m., members of the environmental organization navigated two zodiacs along the plant’s discharge channel, which is situated near the North Sea. The activists displayed banners reading “Rising waters, nuclear in the water,” alongside kites shaped like jellyfish and blue smoke bombs representing rising water levels, according to witnesses.
Additional activists sprayed blue paint at the plant’s access doors and depicted waves on them to illustrate the threat of the facility becoming isolated due to flooding, as explained in a statement by Greenpeace.
Following their intrusion into the canal, some activists attempted to reach the plant’s northern dike but were quickly detained by gendarmes, while others outside were also apprehended by police, as reported by Clément Méric, chief of staff to the prefect.
EDF has clarified that the area where the seven activists landed is part of the industrial perimeter but lies outside the principal protective enclosure of the plant.
Authorities have initiated two investigations: one for “minor damage” and the other for “organized gang intrusion” into a facility housing nuclear materials. By Monday afternoon, fourteen individuals were being questioned in relation to the former, with an additional twelve in police custody for the latter, according to the Dunkirk prosecutor’s office.
Greenpeace aims to raise awareness about the hazards associated with the EPR installation project, highlighting that it lies within the Aa delta, a region vulnerable to flooding, and adjacent to a sea that is rising due to climate change.
This nuclear power plant, the largest in Western Europe with its six reactors producing 900 MW each, is situated in a polder area, which has been artificially created from marshland.
Public discussions regarding the EPR2 project—new-generation reactors expected to produce 1,600 MW each—commenced in mid-September. These reactors are planned to be constructed on an 11-meter-high platform, with operations slated to begin by 2040.
Earlier in October, Greenpeace released a report criticizing the nuclear sector for not adequately addressing the risks of marine flooding associated with the project.
The report warned that by 2100, the site of the plant could be temporarily submerged during high tides and significant surge conditions, putting it below sea level.
In response, EDF stated that the height of the proposed platform is intended to guard against extreme flooding scenarios, referring to effects projected in the latest IPCC reports on rising sea levels.
EDF emphasized its commitment to ongoing safety evaluations and indicated that safety measures similar to those utilized by its operating fleet could be adapted as necessary.