France Shuts Down Three Nuclear Reactors Due to Drought

French energy company EDF has shut down three nuclear reactors after drought conditions reduced water flow in the Meuse and Moselle rivers, according to local media reports on Tuesday. Two reactors at the Chooz Nuclear Power Plant in the Ardennes region of north-eastern France, along with one reactor at the Cattenom facility in Moselle, remained offline as of Monday afternoon, Le Figaro newspaper reported. EDF shut down the Chooz No. 1 reactor on Saturday evening to comply with a 1998 agreement between France and Belgium governing the management of the Meuse River. The plant’s second reactor has been offline since 11 July under the same agreement. The agreement allows for adjustments to electricity production in order to maintain adequate water flow for users of the Meuse, both in France and Belgium, EDF stated. The company also shut down one of the reactors at the Cattenom plant overnight between Friday and Saturday as a precautionary measure following a drop in water levels in the Moselle River. EDF has also reduced or plans to reduce production at four other reactors, namely Bugey 3, Tricastin 4, and Saint-Alban 1 and 2. France operates 57 nuclear reactors, which generate around 70 per cent of the country’s electricity needs. Nuclear power plants are generally located near rivers or the sea because they require large volumes of water for cooling. During droughts and heatwaves, reduced river flow and rising water temperatures can force EDF to limit or halt production. These restrictions aim to protect aquatic ecosystems by preventing an increase in river water temperature from cooling water discharge, whilst also avoiding the release of certain chemical or radioactive effluents when water levels are low. The administrative regions of Ardennes and Moselle were under a yellow heatwave alert on Monday as extreme temperatures continued to affect parts of France.