Extreme heat weakens nuclear power / France forced to shut down the “Golfech 2” reactor

The African anticyclone is giving Europe no respite, with extreme heat continuing to grip the entire continent from north to south. A sudden and intense heatwave has also struck, leading to the shutdown of the “Golfech 2” nuclear power plant.

The facility was shut down last night after one of its two 1.3 GW pressurized water reactors was suspended, while the other reactor is undergoing maintenance. The reactor is supplied directly by the Garonne River to keep its cooling system running, and the decision came after forecasts of rising river water temperatures, which today have reached nearly 30 degrees Celsius.

The plant, located between Toulouse and Agen, in the Tarn-et-Garonne department, will remain on “stand-by” for at least one week, pending confirmation of when it will be able to resume operations, in the hope that river temperatures will stabilize.

“Golfech 2” is just one of 57 plants operating with the same system. The reactors of various nuclear facilities must be cooled continuously, which is why they are built near the sea or along rivers. Water is taken from natural sources for cooling and then discharged back into waterways.

According to foreign media, EDF, the country’s main electricity operator, halted the plant’s production not for safety reasons related to the facility itself, but to avoid an ecological and environmental disaster. Thermal discharges from the plants would risk overheating the water even further, reducing oxygen levels and endangering the river’s flora and fauna.