Saint-Laurent nuclear power plant A-1
Retired France
Gross capacity
500MW
Saint-Laurent nuclear power plant A-1 is a gas-cooled reactor unit at Saint-Laurent nuclear power plant in France rated at 500 MW gross. It is retired. Commercial operation began 1 Jun 1969.
Specification
| Reactor type | Gas-cooled reactor (GCR) |
|---|---|
| Model | Uranium Naturel Graphite Gaz |
| Size class | Large |
| Coolant | Carbon dioxide |
| Moderator | Graphite |
| Gross capacity | 500MW |
| Net capacity (reference) | 390MW |
| Net capacity (design) | 480MW |
| Thermal output | 1,650MWt |
| Typical enrichment | Natural uranium to 2.5–3.5% U-235 |
Ownership & location
| Site | Saint-Laurent nuclear power plant |
|---|---|
| Unit | A-1 |
| Country | France |
| Owner | Electricité de France SA100% |
| Operator | Electricité de France |
| Coordinates | 47.7197, 1.5783 |
Fuel chain for this unit
Fuel form
Uranium metal (Magnox) or uranium dioxide (AGR)
Enrichment
Natural uranium to 2.5–3.5% U-235 no enrichment required
Upstream
This unit runs on natural uranium, so its fuel chain has no enrichment step at all: mine → mill → conversion → fabrication. That is the shortest fuel chain of any commercial reactor type, and it makes the operator independent of the four organisations that control enrichment worldwide.
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utilities do not publish fuel contracts.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 Oct 1963Construction start
- 7 Jan 1969First criticality
- 14 Mar 1969Grid connection
- 1 Jun 1969Commercial operation
- 18 Apr 1990Permanent shutdown
Other units at Saint-Laurent nuclear power plant
| Unit | Status | Gross MW |
|---|---|---|
| Saint-Laurent nuclear power plant A-2 | Retired | 530 |
| Saint-Laurent nuclear power plant B-1 | 956 | |
| Saint-Laurent nuclear power plant B-2 | 956 |
Other Uranium Naturel Graphite Gaz units
6 units worldwide share this model designation.
| Unit | Country | Status | Gross MW |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bugey nuclear power plant 1 | France | Retired | 555 |
| Chinon nuclear power plant A-1 | France | Retired | 80 |
| Chinon nuclear power plant A-2 | France | Retired | 230 |
| Chinon nuclear power plant A-3 | France | Retired | 480 |
| Saint-Laurent nuclear power plant A-2 | France | Retired | 530 |
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