The French prefecture of Gironde has announced that residents living around the Blayais nuclear power plant in Gironde will receive a FR-Alert message on their phones on November 12, 2026. This message is part of a national nuclear safety exercise that will continue on November 13. The exercise aims to test the implementation of the specific intervention plan for the Blayais plant and to raise awareness among the population about the actions to take and the safety measures in place.
The Blayais nuclear power plant, located in Braud-et-Saint-Louis, has four 900-megawatt reactors. The exercise will involve 80 communes, including 32 in the Blaye arrondissement, 25 in the Lesparre-Médoc arrondissement, and 23 in the Jonzac arrondissement of Charente-Maritime. On November 12, these communes will activate their communal safeguard plan. The alert will be triggered within a 20-kilometer radius of the plant and will be for pedagogical purposes only, requiring no action from the population.
The exercise will be based on a fictional scenario, allowing all operational actors to test the organization and crisis management deployed to protect the population. The same message will be relayed on the A10 highway's electronic billboards in both directions and through announcements on the 107.7 radio station. These nuclear and radiological emergency exercises are mandatory under the Internal Security Code and take place every five years.
The prefecture of Gironde stated that the exercise aims to test the implementation of the specific intervention plan for the Blayais plant and to raise awareness among the population about the actions to take and the safety measures in place. The exercise will also assess the response of local authorities and emergency services in the event of a nuclear incident.
From November 6 to 7, a prevention village animated by ATOM Investigation had already addressed the nuclear risk with residents at the polyvalent hall in Braud-et-Saint-Louis. This event was an opportunity for residents to learn more about nuclear safety and the measures in place to protect them in the event of an incident.
The FR-Alert message will be sent to phones located within the concerned perimeter and will not require any action from the population. The prefecture emphasized that the message is for pedagogical purposes only and is intended to raise awareness among residents about the actions to take in the event of a nuclear incident.
The nuclear safety exercise will help identify areas for improvement and ensure that the necessary measures are in place to protect the population in the event of a nuclear incident. The exercise is a mandatory requirement under the Internal Security Code and is essential for maintaining the safety and security of residents living near the Blayais nuclear power plant.
Key points
- The exercise involves 80 communes and aims to test the implementation of the specific intervention plan for the Blayais plant.
- The alert will be triggered within a 20-kilometer radius of the plant and will be for pedagogical purposes only.
- The exercise is a mandatory requirement under the Internal Security Code and takes place every five years.
