A nuclear reactor at the Golfech power plant in France was recently shut down due to the ongoing heatwave impacting Europe. The reactor, located in the Tarn-et-Garonne region, was taken offline as high temperatures in the River Garonne, the plant’s source of cooling water, approached the permitted limit. This action was prompted by state-owned energy company EDF.
France’s national weather service issued a red heatwave alert for nine departments, with the Garonne’s temperature expected to reach 28C. Strict regulations dictate that the river’s temperature must not exceed 28C after the plant’s discharge, which typically raises the water temperature by 0.2C.
Reactor 2 was the only operational unit at Golfech, situated approximately 55 miles from Toulouse, as Reactor 1 had been offline for maintenance since May. Both reactors have a capacity of 1.3GW. EDF had previously halted operations at Golfech on June 23 for the same reason, restarting on July 3.
EDF spokesperson highlighted the significant rise in the Garonne’s temperature, leading to the precautionary shutdown of Reactor 2. During the previous heatwave, EDF also closed reactors at other plants to comply with environmental regulations on river temperatures.
The Copernicus Climate Change Service reported that Western Europe experienced its hottest June on record this year, with temperatures surpassing the average by over 3C. Experts predict more intense and prolonged heatwaves impacting larger geographical areas in the future.
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