French nuclear plant lowers output due to hot river water

An EDF notice in late July warned that the warm water temperatures would necessitate lowered generation at the plant, which relies on the Garonne to provide cooling at the facility. The utility’s latest update indicates that operations at Golfech could be impacted until August 14.

EDF sometimes limits production when temperatures are near a threshold, which varies by plant, Reuters reported. These measures help ensure the water used to cool these plants doesn’t harm the environment when discharged back into rivers.

A closer look: The 28°C (82.4°F) temperature limit for the Garonne River has been breached once so far this year, on July 31. That’s according to data from LSEG, the London Stock Exchange Group, which provides financial market data and analytics to banks and other financial institutions and partners with Reuters.

The Golfech plant has had to lower power in previous years. The weather-related down-powering typically represents less than 1 percent of annual production.

Nuclear output in France has been relatively consistent this year, following years of disruption caused by extended maintenance, according to Reuters.

French nuclear plants still have 44.7 GW of available capacity, which represents about 73 percent of the nation’s generating capacity.