France has temporarily shut down three nuclear reactors and reduced electricity generation at eight others over intense heatwave.
A nuclear reactor is a facility that generates electricity
by splitting uranium atoms to produce a large amount of heat.
Nuclear power plants rely on river water to cool their
reactors before releasing the warmed water back into nearby waterways.
The shutdowns are intended to prevent excessive volumes of
hot water from being discharged into rivers that have already been heated by
soaring temperatures.
EDF, the French electricity utility, said on Sunday that the
reactors were taken offline to comply with environmental regulations governing
the discharge of cooling water into rivers.
“Due to the weather conditions and to comply with
regulations on (cooling water) discharges, and thus to protect the environment,
reactors at the Golfech, Bugey and Chooz plants, located on the banks of the
Garonne, Rhone and Meuse rivers respectively, have been shut down,” the EDF
energy group told AFP.
On Saturday, France’s economy ministry granted a temporary
exemption to temperature limits for water discharged into the Rhone River from
the Bugey nuclear plant.
The ministry said the waiver, which remains valid until July
20, was approved “to ensure the security of the power grid”.
The latest shutdowns mark the second time in recent weeks
that EDF has curtailed nuclear power generation because of extreme heat,
following a record-breaking heatwave that affected France in June.
France is currently experiencing its third heatwave since
May, with more than one-third of the country placed under the highest-level
weather alert on Sunday.
More than 25 million people were affected as temperatures
were forecast to reach as high as 41 degrees Celsius.
The prolonged heat has disrupted daily life, and forcing
tourist attractions to close early in the country.
There has also been reports of increased wildfires and
drowning deaths during the hot spell.
In June, France had placed 49 of its 96 regions on red heat
alerts due to an intense heatwave.
The ongoing heatwave in Europe follows predictions of Super
El Niño by the World Meterological Organisation (WMO).
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