US EditionFrance and Switzerland Shut Down Nuclear Power Plants Due to Heatwave
- EDF halted operations of Reactor 1 at its Golfech facility in southern France late Sunday, June 29, 2025, in response to excessive heat levels impacting the nearby Garonne River.
- The shutdown was necessary because the river's water temperature was forecast to reach 28°C, exceeding regulatory limits and hindering safe cooling of the reactor.
- Similar reductions or shutdowns occurred at other French plants like Blayais and Bugey, as well as at Switzerland's Beznau plant, all affected by high river temperatures during the ongoing European heatwave.
- EDF reported that since 2000, nuclear power plants have experienced an average annual reduction of 0.3 percent in output due to environmental factors such as elevated temperatures and decreased river flows, while expert Nicolas Goldberg noted that electricity consumption remains low during summer and the affected volumes are minimal despite lowered reactor output.
- The heatwave, expected to persist until midweek, raises concerns about more frequent heat-related shutdowns and environmental impacts, prompting calls for EDF to upgrade cooling systems to protect biodiversity.
17 Articles
17 Articles
France and Switzerland shut down nuclear power plants due to heatwave
To cool down, nuclear power plants pump water from local rivers or the sea, which they then release back into water bodies at a higher temperature. However, this process can threaten local biodiversity if water is released which is too hot.
Because of the heat wave and the lack of cooling, France is throttling its nuclear power plants. As a result, electricity prices in Germany are rising on Tuesday.
Because of the heat, which is becoming increasingly unbearable, the nuclear power plants in Europe reduce power or temporarily stop. The reason is to overheat the river water that is normally used to cool reactors. On 2 July, Euronews writes about this. [See_also ids="644819"] Under normal conditions, the nuclear power plant takes water from rivers or seas to cool the equipment and then returns it to it, but with elevated temperatures. However, …
Because of the heat wave, the Gulfech nuclear power plant was stopped. The safety of the site was no longer guaranteed, since the Garonne's waters were too hot, no longer allowing for the cooling of the reactors. The heat wave forced EDF to shut down the Gulfech power plant Since the beginning of the week, reactor No. 1 of the Gulfech nuclear power plant (Tarn-et-Garonne) has been shut down due to the heat wave. The site has seen its only active…
In Austria, a kilowatt hour (kWh) of electricity cost 44 cents on Tuesday between 20 and 21 o'clock at the spot market.For comparison: In the cheapest hour of the day, from 12 to 1 p.m., the electricity cost only 0.3 cents because of the many photovoltaic electricity. The prices were produced in an auction at the European Power Exchange (Epex Spot SE) on Monday.For end users, the market electricity price is usually not relevant.Except for custom…
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