Overview

• EDF has throttled generation at Golfech and Blayais and is preparing to cut output at Bugey after the Garonne, Gironde and Rhône warmed above regulatory thresholds.
• Axpo first reduced Beznau Block 2 to half capacity and has now fully shut down both reactors to comply with Aare temperature limits.
• Since 2000, heat-driven cooling constraints have trimmed French nuclear production by an average of 0.3 percent annually without causing blackouts but spiked losses in 2003 and 2018 forced power imports.
• Additional French reactors face output reductions if current heatwave conditions keep river temperatures too high for safe cooling.
• Climate scientists warn that rising air and water temperatures will make these heat-related nuclear curbs more frequent, challenging Europe’s baseload reliability.