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53-464: The Blayais Nuclear Power Plant is a nuclear plant on the banks of the Gironde estuary near Blaye, France operated by Électricité de France . The power plant has 4 pressurized water reactors – producing 951 MW gross and 910 MW net each. They were commissioned from 1981 to 1983. The plant has 1200 EDF employees and 350 permanent workers. The four reactors produce about 25 TWh per year which

106-525: A lieutenant-general ; in 1710, he was appointed Governor of Béthune for life, while he inherited Vauban's titles and the bulk of his lands. Vauban's family was impacted by the domestic conflict and foreign wars, including the Huguenot rebellions of the 1620s, the 1635–1659 Franco-Spanish War , and 1648 to 1653 Fronde ; his Catholic grandfather married a Protestant from La Rochelle , and served Huguenot leader Admiral Coligny , while two of his uncles died in

159-807: A change in tactics, Marlborough arguing winning one battle was more beneficial than taking 12 fortresses. The armies of the War of the Spanish Succession averaged around 35,000, and siege warfare superseded by a greater emphasis on mobility. In 1703, Vauban was promoted Maréchal de France , marking the end of his military career, although the Ceinture de fer proved its worth after the French defeat at Ramillies in 1706. Under pressure from superior forces on multiple fronts, France's northern border remained largely intact despite repeated efforts to break it. Capturing Lille cost

212-612: A disproportionately high number of successful engineers due to the social and educational characteristics of French Protestantism. After the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685, a significant number of these engineers joined the English and Dutch armies to fight in Ireland, Flanders and Spain. Many of his publications, including Traité de l'attaque des places and Traité des mines , were written at

265-705: A more coherent and defensible border was unusual for the period; the boundaries of the French state he proposed in the north and east have changed very little in the three centuries since. Sébastien le Prestre de Vauban was born in May 1633, in Saint-Léger-de-Foucheret, renamed Saint-Léger-Vauban by Napoleon III in 1867, in the Yonne , now part of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté . His parents, Urbain Le Prestre ( c. 1602–1652) and Edmée de Cormignolle (died c. 1651), were members of

318-498: A precursor of modern economics. Later destroyed by royal decree , it contained radical proposals for a more even distribution of the tax burden. His application of rational and scientific methods to problem-solving, whether engineering or social, anticipated an approach common in the Age of Enlightenment . Perhaps the most enduring aspect of Vauban's legacy was his view of France as a geographical entity. His advocacy of giving up territory for

371-538: A result, French military engineering became ultra-conservative, while many 'new' works used his designs, or professed to do so, such as those built by Louis de Cortmontaigne at Metz in 1728–1733. This persisted into the late 19th century; Fort de Queuleu , built in 1867 near Metz, is recognisably a Vauban-style design. Some French engineers continued to be innovators, notably the Marquis de Montalembert , who published La Fortification perpendiculaire in 1776. A rejection of

424-705: A short-lived infant son. He also had a long-term relationship with Marie-Antoinette de Puy-Montbrun, daughter of an exiled Huguenot officer, usually referred to as 'Mademoiselle de Villefranche.' Vauban died in Paris on 30 March 1707; buried near his home in Bazoches , his grave was destroyed during the French Revolution . In 1808, Napoleon I ordered his heart reburied in Les Invalides , resting place for many of France's most famous soldiers. While his modern fame rests on

477-539: Is 25 hectares (62 acres) and in 2005 had 14 hectares (35 acres) devoted to vines and is part of the world famous Médoc wine region. The Île Sans Nom which appeared in 2009 following Cyclone Klaus lies around 1 mile (1.6 km) east of Cordouan Lighthouse . In December 1942, during the Second World War , Operation Frankton took place with the goal of destroying ships moored at the docks in Bordeaux. The plan

530-713: Is about 5% of the total electricity consumption in France (2015: 476 TWh). Since its commissioning, the Blayais nuclear power plant has produced more than 800 TWh. In its 2016 annual report, the Nuclear Safety Authority (ASN) finds that "the nuclear safety and environmental protection performance of the Blayais NPP on the whole matches ASN's general assessment of EDF and that it's radiation protection performance stands out positively", but asked for "more effective management of

583-544: The marquis de Vauban (baptised 15 May 1633 – 30 March 1707), commonly referred to as Vauban ( French: [vobɑ̃] ), was a French military engineer and Marshal of France who worked under Louis XIV . He is generally considered the greatest engineer of his time, and one of the most important in European military history. His principles for fortifications were widely used for nearly 100 years, while aspects of his offensive tactics remained in use until

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636-582: The Pointe de Grave at the seaward end and the Bec d'Ambès are a series of small islands. The Île de Patiras is 200 hectares (490 acres) in size with a lighthouse to aid navigation in the estuary. Vines and maize are grown there. The Île Sans-Pain and Île Bouchaud are now virtually joined due to progressive silting and are referred to as the Ile Nouvelle. They total about 265 hectares (650 acres) and are owned by

689-637: The Spanish Netherlands and allied with the Spanish. In early 1653, when Vauban worked on the defences of Sainte-Menehould , one of Condé's principal possessions, he was captured by a Royalist patrol and switched sides, serving in the force led by Louis Nicolas de Clerville that took Sainte-Menehould in November 1653. Clerville, later appointed Commissaire général des fortifications , employed him on siege operations and building fortifications. In 1655, Vauban

742-479: The Spanish Netherlands , of which only Seneffe was unrelated to a siege. Their importance was heightened by Louis XIV, who viewed them as low-risk opportunities for demonstrating his military skill and increasing his prestige; he was present at 20 of those conducted by Vauban. The 'siege parallel' had been in development since the mid-16th century but Vauban brought the idea to practical fulfilment at Maastricht in 1673. Three parallel trenches were dug in front of

795-410: The 1690s, betting on the length of a siege became a popular craze. As few states could afford large standing armies, defenders needed time to mobilise; to provide this, fortresses were designed to absorb the attackers' energies, similar to the use of crumple zones in modern cars. The French defence of Namur in 1695 showed "how one could effectively win a campaign, by losing a fortress, but exhausting

848-675: The 1697 siege of Ath is often considered his offensive masterpiece. He was rewarded with money, and made Comte de Vauban, a member of the Order of the Holy Spirit and Order of Saint Louis , and an Honorary Member of the French Academy of Sciences . The numbers needed to conduct a siege, and prevent interference from opponents meant armies of the Nine Years' War often exceeded 100,000 men, sizes unsustainable for pre-industrial societies. It prompted

901-464: The 17th through the 20th centuries. While often overlooked, Vauban worked on many civilian infrastructure projects, including rebuilding the ports of Brest , Dunkerque and Toulon . Since his fortifications were designed for mutual support, roads and waterways were an essential part of their design, such as the Canal de la Bruche , a 20-kilometre (12 mi) canal built in 1682 to transport materials for

954-516: The Allies 12,000 casualties and most of the 1708 campaigning season; the lack of progress between 1706 and 1712 enabled Louis to reach an acceptable deal at Utrecht in 1713, as opposed to the humiliating terms presented in 1707. With more leisure time, Vauban developed a broader view of his role. His fortifications were designed for mutual support, so they required connecting roads, bridges and canals; garrisons needed to be fed, so he prepared maps showing

1007-606: The Conservatoire du Littoral and managed by the Department of the Gironde. The Île Paté is about 13 hectares (32 acres) and in 2006 was privately owned. The island has a historic fort built between 1685 and 1693 as part of the national fortification program masterminded by Vauban . The building is oval in shape, about 12 metres (39 ft) high and was originally equipped with about 30 cannons. Fort Paté , together with Fort Médoc on

1060-496: The Department has a pre-emptive right. After two months the Conservatoire National du Littoral has the next pre-emptive right and then after another 2 months the town of Blaye has a final pre-emptive right to acquire the island. The Île Verte , Île du Nord and Île Cazeau comprise about 800 hectares (2,000 acres) and because of their natural state provide a fine stopping off place for migrating birds. The Île Margaux

1113-410: The French département Gironde , the Gironde estuary is approximately 75 km (47 mi) long and 3–12 km (2–7 miles) wide. It is subject to very strong tidal currents and great care is needed when navigating the estuary by any size or type of boat. Since 2015, the Gironde estuary has been part of the Gironde estuary and Pertuis sea Marine Nature Park . Within the estuary between

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1166-457: The French army was assigned to garrison duty. Vauban's reputation meant his designs remained in use long after developments in artillery made them obsolete, for example the Dutch fort of Bourtange , built in 1742. The Corps des ingénieurs militaires was based on his teachings; between 1699 and 1743, only 631 new candidates were accepted, the vast majority relatives of existing or former members. As

1219-463: The Grand Battery of 200 guns at Namur in 1695, Vauban preferred a more gradual approach. Both had their supporters; Vauban argued his was less costly in terms of casualties, but it took more time, an important consideration in an age when far more soldiers died from disease than in combat. It was accepted even the strongest fortifications would fall, given time; the process was so well understood by

1272-635: The addition of casemated shoulders and flanks. The principles of Vauban's 'second system' were set out in the 1683 work Le Directeur-Général des fortifications, and used at Landau and Mont-Royal, near Traben-Trarbach ; both were advanced positions, intended as stepping-off points for French offensives into the Rhineland . Located 200 metres (660 ft) above the Moselle , Mont-Royal had main walls 30 metres (98 ft) high, 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) long and space for 12,000 troops; this enormously expensive work

1325-432: The besiegers." As with the siege parallel, the strength of Vauban's defensive designs was his ability to synthesise and adapt the work of others to create a more powerful whole. His first works used the 'star-shape' or bastion fort design, also known as the trace Italienne , based on the designs of Antoine de Ville (1596–1656) and Blaise Pagan (1603–1665). His subsequent 'systems' strengthened their internal works with

1378-630: The creation of the US Corps of Engineers in 1824. Until 1866, West Point's curriculum was modelled on that of the French Ecole Polytechnique and designed to produce officers with skills in engineering and mathematics. To ensure a steady supply of skilled engineers, in 1690 Vauban established the Corps royal des ingénieurs militaires ; until his death, candidates had to pass an examination administered by Vauban himself. Young French Huguenots made up

1431-484: The defenders, and allow better co-ordination among the assault force; he was supported by Louis, and the attack proved successful. Vauban made several innovations in the use of siege artillery, including ricochet firing , and concentrating on specific parts of the fortifications, rather than targeting multiple targets. His Dutch rival Menno van Coehoorn employed a similar approach. While the 'Van Coehoorn method' sought to overwhelm defences with massive firepower, such as

1484-468: The end of his career to provide a training curriculum for his successors. Vauban's offensive tactics remained relevant for centuries; his principles were clearly identifiable in those used by the Việt Minh at Dien Bien Phu in 1954. His defensive fortifications dated far more quickly, partly due to the enormous investment required; Vauban himself estimated that in 1678, 1694 and 1705, between 40 and 45% of

1537-579: The fortification of Strasbourg . As early as 1684, Vauban published design tables for retaining walls with heights between 3 and 25 metres. Three years later, Vauban, in his role as newly appointed Commissary General of all French fortifications, sent his engineers in the Corps du Génie Militaire his Profil général pour les murs de soutènement in which he presented his retaining wall profiles that were later adopted by engineering offers such as Bélidor (1729), Poncelet (1840) and Wheeler (1870). He also provided advice on

1590-457: The fortifications he built, Vauban's greatest innovations were in offensive operations, an approach he summarised as 'More powder, less blood.' Initially reliant on existing concepts, he later adapted these on lines set out in his memorandum of March 1672, Mémoire pour servir à l'instruction dans la conduite des sièges . In this period, sieges became the dominant form of warfare; during the 1672–1678 Franco-Dutch War , three battles were fought in

1643-628: The harbour unnoticed and sank one ship and severely damaged four others. Only two of the men returned to the UK alive, but they did enough damage to greatly disrupt the use of the harbour for the following months. The prototypes of the Char B1 ter heavy tank were lost in the Gironde as a result of German bombing in 1940. 45°16′01″N 0°42′39″W  /  45.26694°N 0.71083°W  / 45.26694; -0.71083 Vauban Sébastien Le Prestre, seigneur de Vauban, later styling himself as

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1696-620: The lake and gardens at Blenheim Palace . In 1650, Vauban joined the household of his local magnate, the Prince de Condé , where he met de Montal ; a close neighbour from Nièvre , the two were colleagues for many years, and often worked together. During the 1650–1653 Fronde des nobles , Condé was arrested by the Regency Council, led by Louis XIV 's mother Anne of Austria and Cardinal Mazarin . After being released in 1652, he and his supporters, among them Vauban and de Montal, went into exile in

1749-523: The left bank of the estuary and the ancient citadelle of Blaye on the right bank, defended the estuary and Bordeaux. During the French Revolution the fort was used as a prison for priests. In 2006, the Conseil General decided to make the island a ZPENS (zone de pre-emption espace naturel sensible). ZPENS status protects the island from development. If the owner wishes to sell the island, then

1802-508: The local gentry, including the owners of the Château de Ruère, where Vauban spent his early years. His only sister, Charlotte (1638–1645?), died young, but he had many relatives; his cousin, Paul le Prestre (c. 1630 – 1703), was an army officer who supervised construction of Les Invalides . Three of Paul's sons served in the army, two of whom were killed in action in 1676 and 1677. The third, Antoine (1654–1731), became Vauban's assistant and later

1855-424: The location of forges, forests and farms. Since these had to be paid for, he developed an interest in tax policy, and in 1707 published La Dîme royale , documenting the economic misery of the lower classes. His solution was a flat 10% tax on all agricultural and industrial output, and eliminating the exemptions which meant most of the nobility and clergy paid nothing. Although confiscated and destroyed by royal decree,

1908-573: The mid-twentieth century. He viewed civilian infrastructure as closely connected to military effectiveness and worked on many of France's major ports, as well as projects like the Canal de la Bruche , which remains in use today. He founded the Corps royal des ingénieurs militaires , whose curriculum was based on his publications on engineering design, strategy and training. His economic tract, La Dîme royale , used statistics in support of his arguments, making it

1961-463: The minor nobility, from Vauban in Bazoches . In 1570, his grandfather Jacques Le Prestre acquired Château de Bazoches , when he married Françoise de la Perrière, an illegitimate daughter of the Comte de Bazoches, who died intestate . The 30-year legal battle by the Le Prestre family to retain the property proved financially ruinous, forcing Urbain to become a forestry worker. He also designed gardens for

2014-502: The nuclear waste produced during reactor outages". On the evening of 27 December 1999, a combination of the incoming tide and high winds overwhelmed the sea walls at the plant and causing parts of the plant to be flooded. The event resulted in the loss of the plant's off-site power supply and knocked out several safety-related backup systems, resulting in a 'level 2' event on the International Nuclear Event Scale . At

2067-593: The precautions taken. In Germany the flooding prompted the Federal Ministry for Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety to order an evaluation of the German nuclear power plants . The continued operation of the Blayais plant is opposed by the local anti-nuclear group 'TchernoBlaye' (a portmanteau of the French spelling of Chernobyl and Blaye , the nearest town), formed by Stéphane Lhomme on 15 December 1999. Gironde estuary Giving its name to

2120-632: The repair and enlargement of the Canal du Midi in 1686. His holistic approach to urban planning, which integrated city defences with layout and infrastructure, is most obvious at Neuf-Brisach. His legacy is recognised in the Vauban district in Freiburg , named after a French army base on the same location, which developed as a model for sustainable neighbourhoods post-1998. Vauban's 'scientific approach' and focus on large infrastructure projects strongly influenced American military and civil engineering and inspired

2173-409: The time, units 1, 2 and 4 were at full power, while unit 3 was shut down for refuelling. The operation of units 1 and 2 were affected by flood damage to a number of water pumps and distribution panels, all four units lost their 225 kV power supplies, while units 2 and 4 also lost their 400 kV power supplies. Diesel backup generators were employed to maintain power to plants 2 and 4 until the 400 kV supply

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2226-582: The use of statistics to support his arguments "... establishes him as a founder of modern economics, and precursor of the Enlightenment 's socially concerned intellectuals." In the course of his career, Vauban supervised or designed the building of more than 300 separate fortifications, and by his own estimate, supervised more than 40 sieges from 1653 to 1697. In 1660, Vauban married Jeanne d'Aunay d'Epiry (ca 1640–1705); they had two daughters, Charlotte (1661–1709) and Jeanne Françoise (1678–1713), as well as

2279-399: The walls, the earth thus excavated being used to create embankments screening the attackers from defensive fire, while bringing them as close to the assault point as possible (see diagram). Artillery was moved into the trenches, allowing them to target the base of the walls at close range, with the defenders unable to depress their own guns enough to counter this; once a breach had been made, it

2332-567: The war with Spain. In 1643, at the age of ten, Vauban was sent to the Carmelite college in Semur-en-Auxois , where he was taught the basics of mathematics, science and geometry. His father's work was also relevant; the design of neo-classical gardens and fortifications were closely linked, since they both concerned managing space. It was common to combine these skills; John Armstrong (1674–1742), Marlborough 's chief military engineer, laid out

2385-522: Was appointed Ingénieur du Roi or Royal Engineer, and by the time the war with Spain ended in 1659, he was known as a talented engineer of energy and courage. Under the terms of the Treaty of the Pyrenees , Spain ceded much of French Flanders , and Vauban was put in charge of fortifying newly acquired towns such as Dunkirk . This pattern of French territorial gains, followed by fortification of new strongpoints,

2438-409: Was based on a memorandum from Vauban to Louvois , Minister of War, setting out a proposed line of fortresses known as the Ceinture de fer , or iron belt (see Map). He was made Maréchal de camp in 1676, and succeeded Clerville as Commissaire general des fortifications in 1677. During the Nine Years' War, he supervised the capture of Namur in 1692, the major French achievement of the war, while

2491-513: Was demolished when the French withdrew after the 1697 Treaty of Ryswick , and only the foundations remain today. Fort-Louis was another new construction, built on an island in the middle of the Rhine ; this allowed Vauban to combine his defensive principles with town planning, although like Mont-Royal, little of it remains. The French retreat from the Rhine after 1697 required new fortresses; Neuf-Brisach

2544-581: Was followed in the 1667–1668 War of Devolution , 1672–1678 Franco-Dutch War and 1683–1684 War of the Reunions . The first fortification Vauban designed was the 1673 siege of Maastricht , although he was subordinate to Louis, who ranked as the senior officer present, and thus took credit for its capture. Vauban was rewarded with a large sum of money, which he used to purchase the Château de Bazouches from his cousin in 1675. Post-1673, French strategy in Flanders

2597-537: Was for six canoes to be taken to the area of the Gironde estuary by submarine . Twelve men would then paddle by night to Bordeaux. On arrival they would attach timed limpet mines to the docked cargo ships and escape overland to Spain. The raid was carried out by a small unit of Royal Marines known as the Royal Marines Boom Patrol Detachment (RMBPD), part of Combined Operations , led by Herbert 'Blondie' Hasler . They succeeded in slipping into

2650-515: Was hard to defend. In December 1672, he wrote to Louvois : "I am not for the greater number of places, we already have too many, and please God we had half of that, but all in good condition!" Many of the fortifications designed by Vauban are still standing; in 2008, twelve groups of Vauban fortifications were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List for their exceptional engineering and influence on military fortifications from

2703-452: Was restored. Over the following days an estimated 90,000 m (3,200,000 cu ft) of water was pumped out of the flooded buildings. On 5 January, the regional newspaper Sud-Ouest ran the following headline without being contradicted: "Very close to a major accident" , explaining that a catastrophe had been narrowly avoided. The flooding resulted in fundamental changes to the evaluation of flood risk at nuclear power plants, and in

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2756-499: Was the most significant, designed on Vauban's 'third system', and completed after his death by Louis de Cormontaigne . Using ideas from Fort-Louis, this incorporated a regular square grid street pattern inside an octagonal fortification; tenement blocks were built inside each curtain wall, strengthening the defensive walls and shielding more expensive houses from cannon fire. To create a more coherent border, Vauban advocated destroying poor fortifications, and relinquishing territory that

2809-430: Was then stormed. This approach was used in offensive operations well into the 20th century. However, Vauban adapted his approach to the situation, and did not use the siege parallel again until Valenciennes in 1677. Always willing to challenge accepted norms, at Valenciennes, he proposed assaulting the breach during the day, rather than at night as was normal practice. He argued this would reduce casualties by surprising

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