France Shuts Down Nuclear Reactors and Bans Alcohol Consumption Amid Extreme Heatwave

French authorities are taking special measures to cope with the extreme heatwave blanketing the country, including shutting down a number of nuclear reactors as an environmental protection step. The reactor deactivations are intended to avoid discharging excessive amounts of hot water into rivers whose temperatures have already risen due to the extreme heat. Paris authorities have also imposed a ban on the consumption of alcoholic beverages, as well as restricting their sale, during the heatwave which has left local hospitals overwhelmed with patients. France’s main energy provider, EDF, announced that two additional nuclear reactors were shut down on Thursday local time, bringing the total number of deactivated French reactors to three due to the extreme heat. EDF stated that one reactor each at the Bugey Nuclear Power Plant in eastern France and the Nogent-sur-Seine plant northeast of Paris were shut down because of environmental conditions. These latest deactivations follow the operational halt of a nuclear reactor at the Golfech plant in southwestern France on Monday local time. EDF also announced that production from a reactor at the Saint-Alban plant would be reduced. The nuclear power plants, which are vital for France’s electricity production, use river water to cool the reactors, a process that heats the water before it is discharged back into the rivers. The measures taken by EDF are intended to comply with environmental regulations that limit the temperature increase of river water used for cooling nuclear facilities, in order to protect aquatic ecosystems. France’s 57 nuclear reactors are subject to strict environmental thresholds regarding the temperature of surrounding rivers. Last year, nuclear plants generated nearly 70 percent of France’s electricity needs. French electricity grid operator RTE stated on Wednesday that France has adequate generation capacity to meet electricity demand, including in the event of operational disruptions at certain production facilities. In a separate measure, Paris authorities are banning the consumption of alcoholic beverages in public places starting Friday local time, with off-licence sales also restricted. The move comes as hospitals in and around Paris are overwhelmed with patients amid the record-breaking heatwave. Paris Police Chief Patrice Faure stated that hospital facilities have reached saturation point and the number of patients being treated is continuously rising, necessitating a reduction in pressure on services. Faure said that alcohol consumption on the streets and in other public places, as well as the sale of takeaway alcoholic beverages, will be prohibited from Friday between 12:00 noon and 7:00 a.m. the following day. The ban does not apply to public space areas normally used by officially licensed restaurants and bars. The sale of takeaway alcoholic beverages will be banned from 6:00 p.m. until 7:00 a.m. the following morning, a restriction that also applies to retail shops exclusively selling such beverages.