Chinon nuclear power plant B-4
Gross capacity
954MW
Chinon nuclear power plant B-4 is a pressurised water reactor unit at Chinon nuclear power plant in France rated at 954 MW gross. It is operating. Commercial operation began 1 Apr 1988.
Specification
| Reactor type | Pressurised water reactor (PWR) |
|---|---|
| Model | CP2 |
| Size class | Large |
| Coolant | Light water |
| Moderator | Light water |
| Gross capacity | 954MW |
| Net capacity (reference) | 905MW |
| Net capacity (design) | 905MW |
| Thermal output | 2,785MWt |
| Typical enrichment | 3–5% U-235 |
Ownership & location
| Site | Chinon nuclear power plant |
|---|---|
| Unit | B-4 |
| Country | France |
| Owner | Electricité de France SA100% |
| Operator | Electricité de France |
| Coordinates | 47.2254, 0.1656 |
Fuel chain for this unit
Fuel form
Uranium dioxide pellets in zirconium-alloy cladding
Enrichment
3–5% U-235
Who makes this assembly
- China National Nuclear Corporation PWR fuel assemblies
- ENUSA Industrias Avanzadas PWR and BWR fuel assemblies
- Framatome PWR fuel assemblies
- KEPCO Nuclear Fuel PWR fuel assemblies
- Mitsubishi Heavy Industries PWR fuel assemblies
- Westinghouse Electric Company PWR fuel assemblies
Upstream
Enriched fuel means this unit sits downstream of five conversion plants and four enrichment operators holding 88% of world capacity between the top three.
Fabricator capability is recorded against reactor type and model line, not against named units —
utilities do not publish fuel contracts. See the fuel chain.
Timeline
- 1 Feb 1981Construction start
- 13 Oct 1987First criticality
- 14 Nov 1987Grid connection
- 1 Apr 1988Commercial operation
Other units at Chinon nuclear power plant
| Unit | Status | Gross MW |
|---|---|---|
| Chinon nuclear power plant A-1 | Retired | 80 |
| Chinon nuclear power plant A-2 | Retired | 230 |
| Chinon nuclear power plant A-3 | Retired | 480 |
| Chinon nuclear power plant B-1 | 954 | |
| Chinon nuclear power plant B-2 | 954 | |
| Chinon nuclear power plant B-3 | 954 |
Other CP2 units
10 units worldwide share this model designation.
| Unit | Country | Status | Gross MW |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chinon nuclear power plant B-1 | France | 954 | |
| Chinon nuclear power plant B-2 | France | 954 | |
| Chinon nuclear power plant B-3 | France | 954 | |
| Cruas nuclear power plant 1 | France | 956 | |
| Cruas nuclear power plant 2 | France | 956 | |
| Cruas nuclear power plant 3 | France | 956 | |
| Cruas nuclear power plant 4 | France | 956 | |
| Saint-Laurent nuclear power plant B-1 | France | 956 | |
| Saint-Laurent nuclear power plant B-2 | France | 956 |
Sources
- Global Nuclear Power Tracker, Global Energy Monitor, August 2026 release — CC BY 4.0 · retrieved 2026-09-06 · this unit last researched by GEM on 2024-05-15
- GEM.wiki entry (further reading) — CC BY-SA 4.0 — linked, not quoted