Several people have suffered "intoxication" after an explosion at a French nuclear power plant on the Channel coast.

The blast, which happened at 9.40am UK time, occurred in the turbine hall of the Flamanville power station.

Flamanville is on the English Channel coast in Normandy, about 20 miles from Jersey, 25 miles from Guernsey and close to Cherbourg.

According to the regional authorities, the Special Plan of Interventions (PPI) was not triggered as there was no nuclear risk.

But a cordon has been set up around the site as a precaution.


"It is a significant technical event but it is not a nuclear accident," said senior local official Olivier Marmion.

"Five people have been slightly intoxicated but they are not injured," he reportedly added, according to France Ouest

Mr Marmion said the blaze, which led to the explosion, was brought under control at 11.10am UK time.

EDF said the fire occurred in the Flamanville 1 reactor in a non-nuclear zone and that the 1,300Mw reactor was being taken offline as a result.

The company said in a statement: "The fire was immediately brought under control by the plant's response team.

"As per normal procedure, the fire brigade went to the affected location and confirmed that the fire had been extinguished.

"Unit 1 was disconnected from the grid. There were no casualties. There were no consequences for safety at the plant or for environmental safety."

The nuclear safety authority ASN said it had no information and could not immediately comment.

Foul play has been ruled out and an electrical fault is currently thought to be the most likely cause, France Ouest reported.

Sky sources said that the fault occurred in an electric vent that cools the 20kV electric connections between the alternator and the main 20/420 kV transformer.

The existing power station houses two pressurised water reactors that have been in service for about 30 years, Flamanville 1 and 2.

A new European Pressurised Reactor, Flamanville 3, is being built on site to a similar design as that due to be constructed at Hinkley Point in Britain.

The reactor was due to begin operations in 2012, but in 2016 EDF said that after a reassessment the start up would be delayed until 2018.