French nuclear shutdown takes up to 50% of reactors, supply is cut – Huge drop because of that?
By Paul Homewood
The decommissioning of another nuclear unit in France means half of its reactors are now offline for maintenance, keeping the electricity supply in a country traditionally one of the most important. Europe’s largest exporter of electricity.
28 reactors are offline like Electricite de France SA struggled with prolonged power outages after corrosion problems were found in several locations, requiring lengthy inspections and repairs. The side works, along with refueling pauses and routine maintenance, have been scheduled, and have brought France’s nuclear output to its lowest level in more than a decade so far.
The nuclear fleet is vital and can provide more than two-thirds of the country’s energy, so a pause could exacerbate Europe’s supply crisis. They are also having a larger impact on the French electricity market than in Germany, which relies more on gas and coal to run plants. France’s daily electricity prices have increased by an average of about 30% compared to neighboring countries this year and are more than four times higher than in the same period in 2021.
This is a reminder of how old French nuclear reactor to be. Of the total 61 GW of nuclear capacity, only 9 GW are less than 30 years old. Just how much longer they can be patched together must be questioned.
Nuclear is still providing 62% of France’s electricity this month. France plans to build six new reactors, but these will take at least a decade to come online and will only replace a fraction of the capacity likely to be decommissioned long before.
http://energodock.com/france/ Electroity-shares
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