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Vandellos nuclear power plant 1

Retired Spain
Gross capacity
500MW

Vandellos nuclear power plant 1 is a gas-cooled reactor unit at Vandellos nuclear power plant in Spain rated at 500 MW gross. It is retired. Commercial operation began 2 Aug 1972.

Specification
Reactor type Gas-cooled reactor (GCR)
Modelnot disclosed
Size classLarge
CoolantCarbon dioxide
ModeratorGraphite
Gross capacity500MW
Net capacity (reference)480MW
Net capacity (design)480MW
Thermal output1,670MWt
Typical enrichmentNatural uranium to 2.5–3.5% U-235
Ownership & location
SiteVandellos nuclear power plant
Unit1
CountrySpain
OwnerHispano-Francesa De Energia Nuclear SA100%
OperatorHispano-Francesa De Energia Nuclear
Coordinates 40.9511, 0.8662
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.

Conversion
CamecoCNNCConverDynOranoRosatom
Fabricator capability is recorded against reactor type and model line, not against named units — utilities do not publish fuel contracts.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. 21 Jun 1968Construction start
  2. 11 Feb 1972First criticality
  3. 6 May 1972Grid connection
  4. 2 Aug 1972Commercial operation
  5. 31 Jul 1990Permanent shutdown

Other units at Vandellos nuclear power plant

UnitStatusGross MW
Vandellos nuclear power plant 2 Operating 1,087

Sources