France Shuts Down Three Nuclear Reactors Due to Drought

Istanbul (ANTARA) - French energy company EDF has shut down three nuclear reactors after drought conditions reduced the flow of the Meuse and Moselle rivers, according to local media reports on Tuesday (4/8).

Two reactors at the Chooz Nuclear Power Plant in the Ardennes region of north-eastern France, as well as one reactor at the Cattenom facility in Moselle, remained out of operation until Monday afternoon, according to the newspaper Le Figaro.

EDF shut down Chooz reactor No. 1 on Saturday night to comply with a 1998 agreement between France and Belgium governing the management of the Meuse River.

A second reactor at the plant had already been out of operation since 11 July under the same agreement.

The agreement allows electricity production to be adjusted in order to maintain adequate water flow for users of the Meuse, both in France and Belgium, according to EDF.

The company also shut down one of the reactors at the Cattenom nuclear 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, output 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 the cooling process. During droughts and heatwaves, reduced river flow and rising water temperatures can force EDF to limit or halt production.

The restrictions are aimed at protecting aquatic ecosystems by preventing rises in river water temperatures caused by the discharge of cooling water, while also avoiding the release of certain chemical or radioactive waste when water levels are low.

The Ardennes and Moselle administrative regions were under a yellow heatwave warning on Monday as extreme temperatures continued to affect parts of France.