Maintenance of 9 Nuclear Reactors in France Delayed Due to Strike, Reports Say

PARIS (Sputnik) - Repair work on nine nuclear reactors in France, vital under looming winter, has been postponed again due to employees' strike, French broadcaster BFMTV reported on Friday.

On Thursday, an industrial action was declared at five power units over wage demands, further delaying technical work. 

Strikes at the call of the French FNME trade union are taking place among employees of the state-owned energy company EDF in support of the social movement in the oil sector, which has been going on since September 27.

According to the broadcaster, the strike affected three reactors at the Cruas nuclear power plant (NPP), and delayed the maintenance of two reactors at the Cattenom and Tricastin NPPs, as well as one reactor at the Gravelines and Bugey NPPs. Protests are also being prepared at Dampierre and Paluel NPPs, the trade union said, adding that the management and representatives of the authorities cannot demand that employees work tirelessly to survive the winter, and at the same time ignore their demands.

Trade unionists and striking employees gather outside the TotalEnergies refinery site, in Donges, western France, on October 14, 2022.

© AFP 2023 / LOIC VENANCE

EDF management has announced that it is ready to start negotiations on a salary increase for employees next week, the broadcaster reported.

On Wednesday, French President Emmanuel Macron said that currently, 30 out of the 56 nuclear reactors are operating in the country and 10 more will be restarted in the coming weeks. EDF, the company operating power units, has said that it will restart all shutdown reactors before winter to avoid energy shortages in the country amid soaring energy prices.

Since 2021, energy prices in Europe have been surging as part of a global trend. After the beginning of Russia's military operation in Ukraine in February 2022 and the adoption of several packages of sanctions against Moscow by the West, fuel prices have exacerbated the surge , pushing many EU governments to resort to contingency measures.