Saint-Laurent Nuclear Power Plant, Nuclear power stations in France
Saint-Laurent Nuclear Power Plant is an active nuclear facility in Saint-Laurent-Nouan, in the Loire Valley, France, operating two pressurized water reactors to generate electricity. The plant sits on the south bank of the Loire river, and its cooling towers are visible from several kilometers away.
The site hosted early French gas-cooled reactors starting in the late 1950s, making it one of the first nuclear sites in the country, before two pressurized water reactors came online in the 1980s. Those older reactors were later shut down, but the site continued operating under a new generation of technology.
The plant shapes the identity of Saint-Laurent-Nouan, a small village where many residents work at the facility or in related services. The cooling towers have become a familiar part of the local horizon, accepted as a normal feature of everyday life here.
The facility is not open to the general public, as it is an active industrial site with strict security requirements. The cooling towers and the general layout can still be seen from roads and paths along the Loire river.
Saint-Laurent was the site of two of the most serious nuclear accidents in French history, in 1969 and 1980, both involving the older gas-cooled reactors. These events played a direct role in France's decision to move entirely to pressurized water technology for its future reactors.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
