France has temporarily shut down three nuclear reactors and reduced electricity generation at eight others as an intense heatwave continues to grip the country.
Gatekeepers News reports that the move is aimed at preventing excessively warm cooling water from being discharged into rivers that are already experiencing elevated temperatures due to the prolonged hot weather.
Nuclear power plants use river water to cool their reactors before releasing the warmed water back into nearby waterways. Environmental regulations limit the temperature of water that can be discharged to protect aquatic ecosystems.
On Sunday, France’s state-owned electricity company, EDF, said the reactors were taken offline to comply with those environmental standards.
“Due to the weather conditions and to comply with regulations on (cooling water) discharges, and thus to protect the environment, reactors at the Golfech, Bugey and Chooz plants, located on the banks of the Garonne, Rhone and Meuse rivers respectively, have been shut down,” the EDF energy group told AFP.
On Saturday, France’s economy ministry granted a temporary exemption allowing the Bugey nuclear plant to exceed normal temperature limits for water discharged into the Rhone River.
According to the ministry, the waiver, which will remain in effect until July 20, was approved “to ensure the security of the power grid”.
The latest shutdowns mark the second time in recent weeks that EDF has reduced nuclear power generation because of extreme temperatures, following a record-breaking heatwave that swept across the country in June.
France is currently experiencing its third heatwave since May, with more than one-third of the country placed under the highest-level weather alert on Sunday.
More than 25 million people are affected, with temperatures forecast to reach as high as 41 degrees Celsius in some areas.
The prolonged heat has disrupted daily life, forcing some tourist attractions to close earlier than usual, while authorities have also reported an increase in wildfires and drowning incidents during the hot spell.
In June, France placed 49 of its 96 administrative regions under red heat alerts as exceptionally high temperatures spread across the country.
The ongoing heatwave across Europe comes amid forecasts by the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) warning of the effects of a developing Super El Niño, which could contribute to more extreme weather conditions worldwide.
