Extreme heat in France has forced the shutdown of three nuclear reactors

A record-breaking summer heat wave in France has already led to the shutdown of three nuclear reactors and placed a serious strain on the national healthcare system and educational infrastructure. 

Due to the need to comply with strict environmental limits to prevent the water in the Rhône and Seine rivers—which is used to cool the systems—from overheating, power companies were forced to temporarily shut down Reactor No. 3 at the Bugey Nuclear Power Plant and Unit No. 1 at the Noisy-sur-Seine Nuclear Power Plant. Earlier, a reactor at the Golfech Nuclear Power Plant had already been shut down for similar reasons.

At the same time, the epidemiological situation in the country has deteriorated sharply: the number of emergency calls and hospitalizations due to the effects of abnormal temperatures has quadrupled, and in Paris, more than two dozen cases of cardiac arrest were recorded in a single day. In light of this, Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu announced the activation of the highest, third level of the ORSAN medical emergency response plan. Against the backdrop of the heat crisis, protests also erupted in the education sector — seven teachers’ unions immediately called a strike, accusing the relevant ministry of failing to ensure that school buildings were fully prepared to operate under extreme temperatures and of shifting responsibility onto local authorities. According to the national weather service Météo-France, this period was the hottest in the country’s recorded history, with average temperatures across the entire country exceeding 30°C.

This was reported by Le Monde.

On June 24, France recorded the highest average daily temperatures ever recorded, making it a record-breaking day for the country.

France has faced power outages amid a record-breaking heat wave that has swept across much of Western Europe. Several regions have reported power outages, as well as the imposition of emergency restrictions and the temporary closure of educational institutions.

The extreme heat in Europe has led to at least 18 deaths.