Extreme heat waves in Europe, which some reports have caused an excess of 10,000 deaths on the continent, have forced France to shut down its nuclear reactors.
EDF, the French state energy company, shut down three nuclear reactors on Sunday and seven more will soon need to operate at lower power as well.
The reactors that were taken out of service include:
- Unit 2 in Golfech,
- Unit 3 in Bugey,
- Unit 2 in Chooz
Together, they represent around 6% of France’s total nuclear energy.
The reason for this precaution is not the heat wave itself, but the river water used to cool the reactors of nuclear power plants.
The water returns to the river after cooling the reactors, but comes out hotter. Since rivers are already warming due to the weather, releasing more hot water could harm fish and other river life.
An EDF spokesperson said there is no safety issue as the reactors can easily withstand high temperatures, adding that the shutdowns exist solely to protect the environment.
According to current weather forecasts, the Bugey reactor should be back online around July 19.
Golfech is expected to reboot around July 22 and Chooz around July 25. Those dates could change if the weather changes.
