Historical low production levelsīut production levels have been at a historical low since the start of the year. While France’s nuclear safety authority found that the safety of nuclear installations was maintained at a “satisfactory” level in 2021, the organisation called for such issues to be placed at the centre of energy policy-related decisions – or at least at the same level as questions linked to decarbonising energy production. This has raised concerns about safety levels at France’s nuclear facilities. For now, energy giant EDF has confirmed that this currently affects piping in the auxiliary circuits of the Civaux 1, Chooz 1 and Penly 1 reactors. Of the nuclear reactors currently out of service, 12 are being checked for possible stress corrosion problems. During the month of May, it provided between 51% and 72% of the country’s electricity production, even though at the time, 27 of the country’s 56 nuclear reactors were shut down. Phuc-Vinh Nguyen, a researcher in French and European energy policy, told EURACTIV that this is not the case for current nuclear reactors. Solar power production is also intermittent as it can only be collected during daylight.įor an energy source not to be intermittent, it must be able to be controlled and produced according to need. Production went from a low of 2,177 megawatts (MW) to a high of 8,335 MW, varying from 1 to 16% of total French electricity production. While acknowledging that nuclear plants are currently “under pressure,” de Temmerman emphasised that “there is no problem of safety” or supply security, and that all the shutdowns are “planned and organised.”Īccording to him, there is, therefore, “no intermittency” – unlike with renewable solar and wind energy.Īccording to May figures compiled by France’s electricity transmission system operator RTE, wind power production varies by a factor of four depending on weather conditions. With water being necessary to cool reactors, the reduction in energy production “avoids contributing to the drying up and heating up of rivers,” he added. “It is common for reactors to produce less in the summer to adapt to water conditions,” he said, in reference to lower river flows. The temporary situation affecting nuclear power production is nothing short of exceptional, said Greg de Temmerman, executive director of the Zenon Research think tank and scientific coordinator on the international nuclear project ITER from 2014 to 2020, told EURACTIV. Half of France’s nuclear reactors have been forced to close, and are expected to remain so over the summer, due to high temperatures and disruptions in uranium supplies following the war in Ukraine. Nuclear is “the most intermittent source of energy” today, Mélenchon, the leader of the recently formed left-wing alliance (NUPES) told broadcaster France Inter in an interview on Tuesday (7 June). French far-left leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon has reiterated his opposition to nuclear ahead of the first round of the legislative elections this weekend, adding that he will maintain his stance if he is nominated to be prime minister.
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