Europe’s extreme heat is shutting down power plants
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Europe is in the middle of a record-breaking heat wave, and the grid is being pushed to its limits as people turn to fans and air-conditioning to try to stay cool.
Key facts
Upgrades are expected to cost about €600 million per year (about $680 million) over the next 15 years
On June 23, France saw its hottest day since record-keeping began in 1947
Unit two at the Golfech nuclear power plant in southern France shut down at about 11:45 p.m. on June 22 when the river used to cool the plant got too hot
Temperatures climbed to over 44 °C (111 °F), and overnight temperatures remained unusually high
Summary
On June 23, France saw its hottest day since record-keeping began in 1947. Unit two at the Golfech nuclear power plant in southern France shut down at about 11:45 p.m. on June 22 when the river used to cool the plant got too hot. The power plant takes in water from the Garonne River and then returns most of it to the river at slightly higher temperatures after using it to cool equipment. EDF, which operates France’s entire nuclear fleet, is also limiting the output of other reactors across the country—one reactor at the Nogent-sur-Seine power plant was ramped down as of Tuesday, and more will follow later in the week, Nelligan says.