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Hot Weather Cuts French, German Nuclear Power Output

posted by Fnord666 on Saturday July 27 2019, @04:10PM   Printer-friendly
from the sous-vide-rivers dept.

Arthur T Knackerbracket has found the following story:

Scorching temperatures across Europe coupled with prolonged dry weather has reduced French nuclear power generation by around 5.2 gigawatts (GW) or 8%, French power grid operator RTE’s data showed on Thursday.

Electricity output was curtailed at six reactors by 0840 GMT on Thursday, while two other reactors were offline, data showed. High water temperatures and sluggish flows limit the ability to use river water to cool reactors.

In Germany, PreussenElektra, the nuclear unit of utility E.ON, said it would take its Grohnde reactor offline on Friday due to high temperatures in the Weser river.

Interesting impact of the recent heat wave, right when electrical demand is on the rise.

Previously: Records Tumble as Europe Swelters in Heatwave and the Forecast Isn't Any Better

Original Submission

 
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  • (Score: 5, Informative) by RamiK on Saturday July 27 2019, @04:42PM (2 children)

    by RamiK (1813) on Saturday July 27 2019, @04:42PM (#872001)

    Quite the unprecedented event [soylentnews.org]...

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  • (Score: 3, Informative) by quietus on Sunday July 28 2019, @06:10PM (1 child)

    by quietus (6328) on Sunday July 28 2019, @06:10PM (#872352) Journal

    Also happened in 2003.

    Problem ain't the heat though -- that's just flash-bang reporting. The problem is the continuing relative drought, which started last year around April/May and has continued since. Places here have had agricultural water use limitation rules active since May. We've gone into this summer with groundwater reserves at roughly 50 percent of normal -- due to less rainfall then normal last Winter and this Spring.

    Rainfall in France [eaufrance.fr] is on average 20% less than normal since September 2018, but with great variations: the Var region and Corsica both had a 90% rain shortfall as compared to normal, for the last month, while Nouvelle-Aquitaine, Hauts-de-France and the North East had between 30 to 70% more rainfall than normal. Less rainfall ofcourse results in a lower river level, which could be a problem in itself: Le Monde not only pointed at the high temperature (28 degrees Celsius) for the Rhone river, it also mentioned a feeble river flow volume, though EDF, the owner of the plant, claimed that wasn't a problem.

    • (Score: 2) by RamiK on Monday July 29 2019, @11:12AM

      by RamiK (1813) on Monday July 29 2019, @11:12AM (#872581)

      Good to know. I'll keep it mind for next year's response :D

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