Extreme heat hits nuclear production in France: 3 reactors shut down

Extreme heat and drought affecting France have brought about new measures in nuclear energy production. The electricity company EDF announced that operations at 3 nuclear reactors have been suspended in accordance with environmental water regulations.

According to reports in the local press based on EDF's statement, water flow rates in the Meuse and Moselle rivers have dropped due to the heatwave across the country. This situation has affected production decisions at nuclear power plants that use river water for cooling processes.

EDF announced that 2 reactors at the Chooz Nuclear Power Plant and 1 reactor at the Ardennes Plant have been shut down. Due to hot weather conditions, production had previously been reduced at the Bugey 3, Tricastin 4, and Saint-Alban reactors as well.

Approximately 70 percent of electricity production in France is provided by the country's 57 nuclear reactors. The reactors mostly meet their cooling needs from the rivers or seas where they are located. Therefore, water temperature, flow rate, and environmental restrictions can have a direct impact on production capacity.

In the country, which has experienced a series of heatwaves since May, the average temperature for June reached record levels. The heatwave in July was recorded as the third-longest heatwave in French history.

Drought has also reached critical levels across the country. According to data from the European Drought Observatory, 96.5 percent of the soil in mainland France had dried out during the second and third weeks of July. Water restrictions at various levels are being implemented in all but three departments.