Dangerous Summer for Nuclear Power Plants

The northern hemisphere’s summer began officially just a few weeks ago, but the high temperatures already recorded in France could prompt the shutdown of some of the 58 nuclear reactors that supply 80 percent of the country’s energy.

On Jun. 23, Electricite de France (EDF), the government electrical power monopoly that controls the nuclear facilities, was on the verge of disconnecting the Tricastin plant, located in southeast France on the Rhone River, because the temperature of the water discharged by the reactor cooling system surpassed 25 degrees centigrade, the maximum allowed under the country’s environmental laws.


IPS