CNPE nuclear power plant (Grevelingen / Broekburg, France)
Photos – Info – Weather – Tips – Geo Info – Starry sky [- Tides]
General information about the CNPE nuclear power plant
The CNPE Nuclear Power Plant is the largest nuclear power plant in France, yes, is located barely about a good 30 kilometers from the French-Belgian border and is located in Grevelingen (Gravelines). Officially it is called "Centre Nucléaire de Production d'Electricité", abbreviated as CNPE. It is operated by the French energy giant EDF and was built between 1980 and 1985. It employs some 3,000 people and its six reactors supplied nearly 33 TWh of power in 2024. This accounted for some 70% of the total electricity consumption of the Hauts-de-France region. The plant has a capacity of 5.4 GW. This makes it the second largest in the world. There are even two additional reactors in the pipeline.
Although the power plant bears the name "Gravelines," it was not built exclusively on the territory of the municipality of Gravelines. Part of the site lies on the territory of the municipality of Bourbourg (in Dutch, this is "Broekburg"). So to be clear: the power plant is partly in Gravelines and partly in Bourbourg. This is why some people (locals, technicians, journalists) use both names interchangeably.
Not so many people know you can visit this site. Consult the overview of visits on their web site. In 2025, the plant will also be open on the European Day of Patrimony, which is on Sept. 20, 2025.
Did you know that nuclear power plants sometimes have to be shut down because there are too many jellyfish? See the VRT news report from August 11, 2025, on this topic here.
Visitor tips CNPE Nuclear Power Plant
General tips:
1) if you are looking for other nearby attractions, consult our Tourist map of Top.Vlaanderen.
2) You can consult our overview lists: by category ( e.g. timeline, size, ...) or by region
3) You can also always consult tourist services: see our overview of tourist services
Tip #1 (for photographers): Can you just photograph nuclear power plants in France?
Nuclear power plants fall under critical infrastructure and are closely guarded. According to the French Defense Code ("Code de la Défense"), it is forbidden to photograph military or sensitive installations, including nuclear power plants. You can get in trouble if you take photos without permission, especially if: 1) you get close to the site, 2) your equipment is seen as suspicious (e.g. drone, telephoto lens), 3) you publish images on social media. From public land (e.g., public roads), it is usually not explicitly forbidden to take a picture. But: if you are noticed, you can still be accosted by the police or gendarmerie, especially near the power plant.When we took the picture below with a strong telephoto lens, we noticed a police patrol ourselves. However, they left us alone. You have to be careful anyway. For example, on Google Maps you will notice that on the normal map the power station is indicated, but on the satellite photo everything is blurred. Understandable, of course.
Tip 2: if you are in Grevelingen you may also be interested in its Vauban Fortresses, the lighthouse of Petit-Fort-Philippe or the shipyard of the legendary ship of the Dunkirk privateer "Jean-Bart"..
Tip 3: if you live "close" to a nuclear power plant (experts speak of 20 kilometers for example, but if you are pregnant then the safety perimeter is as much as 100 kilometers) and you are up to 40 years old then it is best to have iodine tablets within reach. You can pick these up at your pharmacy. Read more about nuclear risks on the official page nuclearrisk.be of the Belgian government: Dutch - French-language - English-language. In France one can visit the website of vie-publique. For the Netherlands, consult the website of the Rijksoverheid.
Geographical information
Address: Route des Enrochements, Dunkirk, Hauts-de-France, France
Geographic coordinates:
– Google Maps: Latitude = 51.0140824 – Longitude = 2.1390996
– Open Street Maps: Latitude = 51.015918 – Longitude = 2.139118
– Altitude h = 19 m
Location of CNPE nuclear power plant on:
Tourist map of Top.Vlaanderen – Google Maps – OpenStreetMap.
Route to CNPE nuclear power plant: Route via Google Maps
Meteo
7°C
| Day | Condition | Temperature | Precipitation | Rain Chance | Wind | Humidity | Pressure |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Today
22:00
|
 cloudy
|
8° | 10°°C | 0 mm | 0% | 10 Km/h | 93 % | 1020 mb |
|
Tomorrow
22:00
|
cloudy
|
4° | 9°°C | 0 mm | 0% | 10 Km/h | 92 % | 1020 mb |
|
Mon Jan 26
10:00 p.m.
|
cloudy
|
2° | 7°°C | 0 mm | 0% | 11 Km/h | 91 % | 1020 mb |
|
Tue Jan 26
10:00 p.m.
|
 slightly cloudy
|
4° | 9°°C | 0 mm | 0% | 11 Km/h | 91 % | 1020 mb |
|
Wed Jan 26
10:00 p.m.
|
partly cloudy
|
2° | 9°°C | 0 mm | 0% | 22 Km/h | 89 % | 1012 mb |
| Hour | Condition | Temperature | Precipitation | Rain Chance | Wind | Humidity | Pressure |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Today
10:00
|
cloudy
|
8° | 8°°C | 0 mm | 0% | 9 Km/h | 93 % | 1016 mb |
|
Today
13:00
|
cloudy
|
9° | 10°°C | 0 mm | 0% | 10 Km/h | 90 % | 1016 mb |
|
Today
16:00
|
cloudy
|
10° | 10°°C | 0 mm | 0% | 9 Km/h | 88 % | 1017 mb |
|
Today
19:00
|
cloudy
|
8° | 8°°C | 0 mm | 0% | 7 Km/h | 90 % | 1019 mb |
|
Today
22:00
|
cloudy
|
8° | 8°°C | 0 mm | 0% | 10 Km/h | 92 % | 1020 mb |
|
Tomorrow
01:00
|
cloudy
|
7° | 7°°C | 0 mm | 0% | 8 Km/h | 91 % | 1020 mb |
|
Tomorrow
04:00
|
cloudy
|
7° | 7°°C | 0 mm | 0% | 10 Km/h | 92 % | 1020 mb |
|
Tomorrow
07:00
|
cloudy
|
6° | 6°°C | 0 mm | 0% | 10 Km/h | 90 % | 1019 mb |
Starry sky above the CNPE nuclear power plant
Tide predictions
Want to see the tides for another date?
Internet information from and about the CNPE Nuclear Power Plant
Visitor numbers: 7,940 (2023)
Social media for the nuclear power plant: Website
Information on Wikipedia: NL – FR – EN
Tourist office “Tourisme Gravelines”:
Website – Facebook (municipality) – Instagram
Tourist office “Dunkerque Tourisme”:
Website – Facebook – Instagram
Our photos of the CNPE Nuclear Power Plant
Onze foto’s, video’s, … zijn allen (c) 2004-2026, Top.Vlaanderen, België. Ze mogen niet “zomaar” worden overgenomen of gebruikt. Ze zijn evenwel licentieerbaar. Wil U uw eigen toeristische attractie, B&B, vakantiewoning… laten fotograferen door ons, dat kan ook. Neem hiervoor contact met ons op via ons Contactformulier .
Photos of the nuclear power plant taken from le Calvaire des Marins de Grand-Fort-Philippe (photos from April 19, 2025):
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Photos of the real giants of the North: the electricity pylons that distribute the electricity produced across the region. Photographed June 12, 2024 in Saint George near Broekburg (French: Bourbourg).
Click on any of the photos below to launch the photo carousel....
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