France has shut down three nuclear reactors and reduced output at eight others as a severe heatwave — the country's third in two months — forces power adjustments across its atomic fleet.
Électricité de France halted reactor 2 at Golfech, reactor 3 at Bugey, and reactor 2 at Chooz due to climatic conditions, while throttling eight additional units at Saint-Alban, Blayais, Bugey, Chooz, and Tricastin. Nuclear regulators set maximum water temperature thresholds for each plant to protect river ecosystems used for cooling.
The disruptions affect a country where 57 reactors generate roughly 70 percent of electricity. On the ground, red heat alerts covered 24 departments on Saturday and expanded to more than a third of the country by Sunday, with warnings reaching 26 million residents. Forecasters expect the extreme temperatures to persist through the middle of next week.