French State Energy Company EDF May Reduce Nuclear Power Production Due to Hot Weather

PARIS (Sputnik) - French state-owned power generating company EDF said on Wednesday that it might impose restrictions on nuclear power production due to heat waves, which may affect the Saint-Alban and Golfech nuclear power plants (NPP), with one of the Tricastin NPP's reactors planned to be shut down.

"Due to the projected high temperatures in the Rhone Valley, production limitations are most likely to affect nuclear power production at the Saint-Alban NPP from August 6. Nonetheless, a minimum of 700MWh [megawatt hours] of energy will be supplied to the grid, with the figure subject to fluctuations depending on the grid needs," the company said in a statement.

Production cuts will also be introduced on the Golfech NPP starting on Thursday, while one of the reactors at the Tricastin NPP could be completely terminated, EDF added.

Last week, EDF said that in the first half of the year it had suffered losses amounting to 5.3 billion euros ($5.37 billion), breaking a record in the company's history.

EDF will also have to carry out extensive repairs on 12 nuclear reactors that have been decommissioned due to corrosion on the welds connected to the primary circuit of the reactors' emergency cooling system pipes. Furthermore, 18 other reactors have been shut down due to scheduled preventive maintenance.

In early July, French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne announced that the French government would increase its stake in the energy company EDF to 100%. She explained the decision by the fact that the extreme climate situation requires radical solutions, while France must ensure its energy independence against the background of the conflict in Ukraine.