Centrale nucléaire de production d'électricité (CNPE) de Chinon

The Chinon Nuclear Power Plant (CNPE), initiated in 1945 under General de Gaulle's directive, marks France's early ventures into nuclear technology. By the 1950s, the Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique (CEA) was developing gas-cooled reactors (UNGG) predominantly for military applications. Meanwhile, EDF began exploring civil nuclear energy, commissioning the design of its first electricity-generating plant in Avoine in 1956. The reactor's engineering was handled by EDF engineers, while architects Pierre Dufau and Jean Démaret were responsible for the overall site plan and the design of non-nuclear buildings, drawing from their extensive experience in industrial architecture.