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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
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Saturday July 27 2019, @05:23PM (6 children)
They certainly balked at repetitive redundancy, if they didn't balk at reserve. A cooling tower ready to take over just in case river water cooling failed was just too much to ask for.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by PinkyGigglebrain on Saturday July 27 2019, @06:02PM (2 children)
A cooling tower that would normally just be sitting idle doing nothing but costing money and messing up the view, until that once in a century heat wave, kind of like a wall to stop a once in a century tsunami.
And not just the extra expense of building the towers, they would have needed more land, more time to build, and there would have been more opposition to the plant because the tower would have had more of an impact on the local environment and economy.
It's not the power plant operators fault that there was a problem. The government is to blame for not allowing the additional power plants that would have provided the extra generating capacity to make up for shortfalls like this.
"Beware those who would deny you Knowledge, For in their hearts they dream themselves your Master."
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday July 27 2019, @07:20PM (1 child)
Kinda makes you think that "once in a century" is some BS calculation. I've looked at it before, and it is exactly the sort of byzantine process that has been clearly jury rigged together process developed by political committee that you would expect.
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Sunday July 28 2019, @01:33AM
Agreed. We have "once in a century" floods around here. Even allowing for the weird byzantine processes: If a person expects to live more than half a century, and the event happens once a century, then that person can EXPECT to witness this once in a century event during his lifetime.
(Score: 2) by leftover on Saturday July 27 2019, @06:06PM (2 children)
That was likely how the approach was 'sold', even if technical concerns existed. It takes pressure from all sides to out-shout the suits but it can be done. There are two nuke plants on the shallow end of Lake Erie with towers for extra cooling. Too bad they cheaped-out on other things and are now being decommissioned. The suits who pushed cheapness tricks are, of course, nowhere to be seen now that the plant's working lifetimes are ended prematurely.
Bent, folded, spindled, and mutilated.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday July 27 2019, @07:05PM (1 child)
>lake Erie
This one? It Is to keep running
https://www.thenews-messenger.com/story/news/local/2019/07/24/firstenergy-solutions-announces-refuel-davis-besse-nuclear-power-station/1822494001/ [thenews-messenger.com]
(Score: 2) by leftover on Saturday July 27 2019, @08:15PM
It is! Had not seen that, thank you. There has been a political/economic brawl going on in Ohio over a bill to bail out the plants. Had not heard a peep about this being an option.
Bent, folded, spindled, and mutilated.