Bugey nuclear power plant 3
Gross capacity
945MW
Bugey nuclear power plant 3 is a pressurised water reactor unit at Bugey nuclear power plant in France rated at 945 MW gross. It is operating. Commercial operation began 1 Mar 1979.
Specification
| Reactor type | Pressurised water reactor (PWR) |
|---|---|
| Model | CP0 |
| Size class | Large |
| Coolant | Light water |
| Moderator | Light water |
| Gross capacity | 945MW |
| Net capacity (reference) | 910MW |
| Net capacity (design) | 920MW |
| Thermal output | 2,785MWt |
| Typical enrichment | 3–5% U-235 |
Ownership & location
| Site | Bugey nuclear power plant |
|---|---|
| Unit | 3 |
| Country | France |
| Owner | Electricité de France SA100% |
| Operator | Electricité de France |
| Coordinates | 45.7973, 5.2706 |
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utilities do not publish fuel contracts.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 Sep 1973Construction start
- 31 Aug 1978First criticality
- 21 Sep 1978Grid connection
- 1 Mar 1979Commercial operation
Other units at Bugey nuclear power plant
| Unit | Status | Gross MW |
|---|---|---|
| Bugey nuclear power plant 1 | Retired | 555 |
| Bugey nuclear power plant 2 | 945 | |
| Bugey nuclear power plant 4 | 917 | |
| Bugey nuclear power plant 5 | 917 | |
| Bugey nuclear power plant 6 | Announced | 1,650 |
| Bugey nuclear power plant 7 | Announced | 1,650 |
Other CP0 units
6 units worldwide share this model designation.
| Unit | Country | Status | Gross MW |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bugey nuclear power plant 2 | France | 945 | |
| Bugey nuclear power plant 4 | France | 917 | |
| Bugey nuclear power plant 5 | France | 917 | |
| Fessenheim nuclear power plant 1 | France | Retired | 920 |
| Fessenheim nuclear power plant 2 | France | Retired | 920 |
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