Greenpeace Luxembourg organises a symbolic demonstration outside of the Cattenom nuclear power plant to mark the 40th anniversary of the plant’s Unit 1 reactor;
Credit: Greenpeace Luxembourg
On Friday 23 October 2026, Greenpeace Luxembourg organised a symbolic demonstration outside of the Cattenom nuclear power plant to mark the 40th anniversary of the plant’s Unit 1 reactor.
Greenpeace Luxembourg said the action outside the plant was to highlight the risks associated with the reactor’s ageing and oppose an extension of its operating life.
Holding banners, the organisation’s activists said they had sent a clear message to the French authorities and EDF that “Cattenom 1 must be shut down after 40 years of operation, as originally planned”.
In early 2027, the reactor is expected to be taken offline for approximately six months for its fourth ten-yearly inspection. This period will be devoted to thorough inspections, maintenance work and safety upgrades. Greenpeace Luxembourg said that although these interventions may improve the facility’s safety, they will not fully address the fundamental weaknesses of its original design.
Additionally, Greenpeace Luxembourg recently published a new study on the problems and risks associated with Cattenom 1.
The report highlighted significant safety deficiencies, particularly regarding the design and separation of safety systems, protection against earthquakes and other hazards, and the ageing of the facilities. Greenpeace Luxembourg said the analysis showed that even with upgrades, Cattenom 1 will not be able to fully achieve the safety standards of nuclear power plants built today.
“Forty years is enough. Extending Cattenom 1’s operating life means betting that a reactor designed half a century ago will continue to operate for another ten years. The French authorities and EDF must put public safety ahead of economic interests and abandon plans to extend the reactor’s operation,” said Roger Spautz, campaigner at Greenpeace Luxembourg.
Greenpeace Luxembourg stressed that a major nuclear accident at Cattenom would not stop at the French border. Luxembourg and Germany could also suffer the consequences, and said it is therefore essential to ensure transparency, thoroughly assess the risks and involve the affected populations in decisions about the plant’s future.
Greenpeace Luxembourg is therefore calling for Cattenom to be shut down. Through a petition, the organisation is urging that the operating life of Unit 1 not be extended and that the closure of the plant be planned.
