Three French nuclear reactors shut down due to heatwave

Paris (ANTARA) - Three nuclear reactors in France have been taken offline and eight others are operating at reduced capacity amid the ongoing heatwave, local media reported on Sunday (12 July).

The Xinhua news agency reported that France’s national weather service placed 37 departments on the highest level (red) heatwave alert from 12:00 local time (17:00 WIB) on Sunday, warning that temperatures in the affected regions could reach between 37 and 41 degrees Celsius.

French daily newspaper Le Parisien quoted the state-owned electricity utility EDF as saying that the reactors were shut down “due to weather conditions and to comply with regulations governing heat discharge in order to protect the environment.”

High river temperatures can limit the ability of nuclear power plants to use river water for cooling, forcing operators to reduce output or temporarily halt operations in order to comply with environmental regulations.

In a report released on Thursday (9 July), Meteo-France said that following the exceptional heatwave that struck France in late June, extremely hot temperatures had again spread across much of the country.

On Sunday, the national weather agency placed 37 departments on the highest level (red) heatwave alert from 12:00 local time, warning that temperatures in the affected regions could reach between 37 and 41 degrees Celsius.

Also on Sunday, French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said in an interview with French television channel BFM TV that as many as 139 people had drowned since 19 June, an 18 per cent increase compared with the same period last year.