The French energy company EDF has shut down three nuclear reactors following drought conditions that have reduced water flows in the Meuse and Moselle rivers.
According to one report, as of Monday afternoon, two reactors at the Chooz nuclear power plant in the Ardennes region and one reactor at the Cattenom facility in Moselle remained offline. There are conflicting reports regarding the location of the third reactor, with some sources identifying it as being at the Cattenom facility in Moselle while others refer to it as an Ardennes plant.
Regulatory agreements and river management
According to EDF, it shut down Chooz reactor No. 1 late Saturday to comply with a 1998 Franco-Belgian agreement governing the management of the Meuse River. EDF also stated that a second reactor at the Chooz nuclear power plant has been offline since July 11 under that same agreement.
EDF said it shut down one of the Cattenom plant's reactors overnight from Friday to Saturday as a precaution due to declining water levels in the Moselle River.
Broader energy and weather impact
According to reports, EDF has reduced or plans to reduce output at four other reactors: Bugey 3, Tricastin 4, and Saint-Alban 1 and 2. While some reports attribute the production reductions at the Bugey 3, Tricastin 4, and Saint-Alban reactors to a heatwave in France, the specific reactor numbers vary across sources.
Nuclear reactors generate approximately 70% of electricity in France, which operates 57 reactors.
The Ardennes and Moselle departments were placed under a yellow heat wave warning on Monday, according to officials. This follows a period where average temperatures in June reached record levels, and a July heatwave became the third longest recorded in the country's history.
Drought conditions across France
Drought has reached alarming levels in more than one-third of mainland France. Data from the European Drought Observatory shows that 96.5% of the land in mainland France was dry during the second and third weeks of July.
Water restrictions are being implemented in all French departments except for three.
