Heat rivers up
France drives nuclear power plant because of heat wave
France has to reduce its nuclear power production. Rivers from which power plants cover their cooling water are heated up.
In view of the extreme heat in France, the state electricity company EDF has dropped the Golfech nuclear power plant in the south of the country. This was done late Sunday evening to prevent the Garonne river from heating, from which the power plant receives its cooling water, Edf said.
Due to the high summer weather, heating the Garonne to a water temperature of 28 degrees was expected on Monday. How long the power plant will remain switched off did not share EDF. The heat wave in France with temperatures up to 40 degrees should take until the middle of the week.
Meanwhile, the performance of the Western French Blayais nuclear power plant was also reduced on Sunday to prevent heating up the mouth of the Gironde. For the nuclear power plant that is located in the south, which its cooling water is drawn from the Rhône, shutdown was considered.
As EDF announced, the effects of the measures on electricity production should be neglected. The throttling or shutdown of nuclear power plants during heat periods has led to a reduction in annual electricity production of an average of 0.3 percent since 2000.
dpa
Source: Stern
