Chinon nuclear power plant A-1
Retired France
Gross capacity
80MW
Chinon nuclear power plant A-1 is a gas-cooled reactor unit at Chinon nuclear power plant in France rated at 80 MW gross. It is retired. Commercial operation began 1 Feb 1964.
Specification
| Reactor type | Gas-cooled reactor (GCR) |
|---|---|
| Model | Uranium Naturel Graphite Gaz |
| Size class | Large |
| Coolant | Carbon dioxide |
| Moderator | Graphite |
| Gross capacity | 80MW |
| Net capacity (reference) | 70MW |
| Net capacity (design) | 68MW |
| Thermal output | 300MWt |
| Typical enrichment | Natural uranium to 2.5–3.5% U-235 |
Ownership & location
| Site | Chinon nuclear power plant |
|---|---|
| Unit | A-1 |
| Country | France |
| Owner | Electricité de France SA100% |
| Operator | Electricité de France |
| Coordinates | 47.2254, 0.1656 |
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utilities do not publish fuel contracts.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 Feb 1957Construction start
- 16 Sep 1962First criticality
- 14 Jun 1963Grid connection
- 1 Feb 1964Commercial operation
- 16 Apr 1973Permanent shutdown
Other units at Chinon nuclear power plant
| Unit | Status | Gross MW |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | |
| Chinon nuclear power plant B-4 | 954 |
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-2 | France | Retired | 230 |
| Chinon nuclear power plant A-3 | France | Retired | 480 |
| Saint-Laurent nuclear power plant A-1 | France | Retired | 500 |
| 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