Weather tracker: Unusually warm rivers affect French nuclear power plants
Unusually high temperatures and low rainfall in Europe are causing river water levels to drop and temperatures to rise, impacting nuclear power plant cooling systems. In France, this has forced temporary shutdowns and production restrictions at facilities like the Golfech and Nogent plants.
Why it matters
Climate-driven environmental changes are creating direct operational risks for critical energy infrastructure, highlighting the vulnerability of traditional power generation to extreme weather.
A reactor at the Golfech nuclear power plant in south-west France was temporarily shut down owing to the temperature of the Garonne River./Getty Images A reactor at the Golfech nuclear power plant in south-west France was temporarily shut down owing to the temperature of the Garonne River./Getty Images Weather tracker Europe Analysis Weather tracker: Unusually warm rivers affect French nuclear power plants Theo Gkousarov for MetDesk High temperatures and below average rainfall put pressure on waterways used to cool reactors
The report focuses on environmental and industrial data without political bias.
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