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.
Updates
The water crisis has expanded across Europe, forcing production cuts at nuclear plants in Switzerland, Hungary, and Romania, with Southeast Europe losing approximately 40 percent of its nuclear capacity on Monday. In France, power output has been temporarily reduced at the Bugey, Nogent, Chooz, Saint-Alban, and Blayais sites, while the Golfech plant was shut down to protect the Garonne river's ecology. Additionally, unverified reports suggest the Paks plant in Hungary has been throttled to just 12 percent of its nominal capacity due to extreme low water levels on the Danube.
The production crisis has expanded to Switzerland, Hungary, and Romania, with the Beznau plant in Switzerland now completely offline and the Paks plant in Hungary reportedly throttled to 12 percent capacity. In France, production outages have accumulated to over four terawatt-hours by early August, representing two percent of total nuclear generation, compared to a historical average of only 0.3 percent since 2000. Additionally, around 40 percent of Southeast Europe's nuclear capacity was out of operation on Monday due to record low water levels.
The energy crisis has expanded beyond France to Switzerland, Hungary, and Romania, where low water levels and high temperatures have forced production reductions in several countries. In Switzerland, the Beznau plant is now completely offline to protect the Aare river's ecosystem, while Hungary's Paks plant faces cooling issues due to low Danube levels, with unverified reports suggesting its capacity has been throttled to 12 percent. Additionally, France experienced a temporary restriction of 8 to 9 gigawatts of capacity during heat periods in late June and mid-July 2026, with production outages accumulating to more than four terawatt-hours by early August.
Since the initial report, nuclear outages have expanded beyond France to Switzerland, Hungary, and Romania, with Beznau fully offline and Golfech shut down to protect river ecosystems, while Bugey, Nogent, Chooz, Saint-Alban, and Blayais reduced output; production losses in France have now exceeded four terawatt-hours—about two percent of nuclear generation during the period—and Southeast Europe’s nuclear capacity saw 40 percent offline, with Hungary’s Paks facing critical low Danube levels, though its 12 percent output claim remains unverified; Mycle Schneider noted unprecedented early-year outages and the most dramatic Danube conditions ever recorded.
Following the initial shutdowns in France, nuclear plants across Switzerland, Hungary, and Romania have also reduced or halted output due to low water levels and high temperatures, with Switzerland’s Beznau plant now fully offline and Hungary’s Paks plant facing critical cooling challenges as the Danube’s water level drops below pump intake depth—though claims of Paks being throttled to 12% capacity remain unverified; meanwhile, France’s cumulative production losses have exceeded four terawatt-hours since June, and experts warn climate-related outages could triple or quadruple by 2050.
Following the initial shutdowns in France, nuclear plants across Switzerland, Hungary, and Romania have also reduced or halted output due to extreme low water levels and high temperatures, with Switzerland’s Beznau plant now fully offline and Hungary’s Paks facing insufficient cooling water intake depth, while Romania diverted Danube flow via military blasting to sustain Cernavodă; production losses in France have now exceeded four terawatt-hours since June, surpassing the 2003 heatwave peak and prompting warnings that climate-related outages could quadruple by 2050.
Following the initial shutdowns in France, nuclear plants across Switzerland, Hungary, and Romania have also reduced or halted output due to low water levels and high temperatures, with Switzerland’s Beznau plant now completely offline and Hungary’s Paks plant facing critical cooling issues as the Danube’s water level drops below operational thresholds, while Romania’s Cernavodă plant was forced to reduce output due to water allocation conflicts — bringing total affected nuclear capacity in Southeast Europe to around 40 percent, according to Montel, and pushing France’s July production loss to nearly 9 percent, with over 3.7 TWh lost in June and July alone, a record that analysts warn may攀升.
Since the initial report, nuclear output reductions have expanded across Switzerland, Hungary, and Romania, with Beznau now fully offline and Paks reportedly throttled to 12% capacity due to Danube drought—though the latter remains unverified—while Cernavodă cut production over water allocation; France’s cumulative nuclear losses reached over 4 TWh by early August, with July’s output down 9% and June–July losses exceeding 3.7 TWh, surpassing even 2003’s heat-related disruptions, as advisor Mycle Schneider noted unprecedented early-year outages and the most dramatic Danube conditions on record.
Following the initial shutdowns in France, nuclear facilities across Switzerland, Hungary, and Romania have also curtailed output due to low river levels and high water temperatures, with Switzerland’s Beznau plant now completely offline and Hungary’s Paks plant facing critical cooling limitations due to the Danube’s record-low levels, while Romania’s Cernavodă plant reduced output due to water distribution issues — pushing Southeast Europe’s nuclear capacity offline to around 40 percent, a situation nuclear advisor Mycle Schneider called the most dramatic ever seen on the Danube.
Following the initial shutdowns in France, nuclear facilities across Switzerland, Hungary, and Romania have also curtailed or halted operations due to low river levels and elevated water temperatures, with Switzerland’s Beznau plant now fully offline and Hungary’s Paks plant facing critical cooling challenges as the Danube’s water level drops below pump intake depth—though claims of Paks being throttled to 12% capacity remain unverified; France’s cumulative nuclear output loss reached over four terawatt-hours by early August, nearly double the June–July loss of 3.7 TWh reported by ICIS, while experts warn climate-related outages could triple or quadruple by 2050.
