nuclear-news

Drought, heat – and jellyfish: Climate change is causing problems for the French nuclear power plant fleet.

 13 nuclear reactors have had to shut down. Solar energy has so far compensated for the loss – at least during the day.

Heat waves and drought have led to the shutdown of several French
nuclear reactors, while strong solar power generation has helped stabilize
the grid. As photovoltaic capacity declines after sunset, battery storage
could help meet the high evening demand and reduce dependence on
electricity generation from gas-fired power plants.

The combined effects of
heat wave and drought have led to the shutdown of 13 French nuclear
reactors by mid-August; this corresponds to 20.4 percent of the country’s
total nuclear power capacity. This is the highest level since 2015, reports
the French news agency AFP. The state-owned energy supplier EDF justifies
the shutdowns with “environmental restrictions” and “external environmental
factors”.

 Focus Online 19th Aug 2026, https://www.focus.de/earth/energie/minus-20-prozent-frankreich-akws-fallen-reihenweise-aus-solar-springt-ein_f45e9bcc-c370-4ea0-8759-c097efb4bcb2.html

August 24, 2026 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | climate change, France