France Has Reduced the Output of Its Nuclear Power Plants Due to Unusually Hot Weather – Bloomberg

Average nuclear power generation in France fell below 33 GW, the lowest level in the past nine months, due to the need to curtail generation at nuclear power plants. The reduction was caused by a critical rise in water temperatures in the rivers used to cool the reactors. 

Under current environmental regulations, EDF is required to shut down units or reduce output to ensure that the discharge of treated water does not harm river ecosystems, with six nuclear sites—with a combined capacity of about 18 GW—currently at risk of restrictions.

This situation triggered a sharp 27% rise in July electricity futures in France—to 81.01 euros per MWh, the highest level since January of this year. The drop in generation—which accounts for about two-thirds of the country’s needs—has also led to a reduction in French exports to a year-to-date low of 4 GW, forcing the European power grid to partially offset the shortfall by increasing gas-fired generation. Similar problems due to river overheating have been reported in other European countries, notably at the Paks Nuclear Power Plant in Hungary, where the government was forced to temporarily lift generation limits due to overheating of the Danube River.

This was reported by Bloomberg, citing data from the grid operator RTE.

In Paris, officials have blamed the United States for part of the record-breaking heatwave in Europe.

In Poland, the heatwave broke the temperature record set in 1921.

Forecasters have predicted when the heatwave in Ukraine will begin to subside.