EDF May Cut Nuclear Output in North France as River Levels Drop
(Bloomberg) -- Electricite de France SA will likely cut nuclear power production in northern parts of the country this week because of forecast shallow waters on the Meuse River.
Low flows may affect output from the Chooz plant located near the Belgian border starting Friday, according to a company statement.
“The Meuse is quite far north for this sort of restriction, so it’s notable for that reason,” said William Peck, senior power analyst at Energy Aspects Ltd. “But given the weather forecasts and the time of year, I don’t think we’ll see a major ongoing issue or much additional upside risk from it.”
The country’s atomic power plants have been disrupted recently amid weather-related pressures. A heat wave forced several reactors to curb output because the river water used to cool them became too warm.
In addition, four reactors were shut down after a swarm of jellyfish clogged the filter drums. Their growing numbers can be linked to climate change.
Elsewhere, EDF ended heat-related production warnings on the Garonne and Rhône rivers that were imposed almost two weeks ago.
In response to Bloomberg questions, EDF said that high river temperatures or low flows can force the company to cut output to comply with environmental regulations. However, it added that the losses so far this year amounted to an average of 0.1% of annual nuclear production.
(Updated with EDF comment in seventh paragraph.)
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