France powers down several nuclear reactors due to extreme heat(lemonde.fr)
lemonde.fr
France powers down several nuclear reactors due to extreme heat
https://www.lemonde.fr/en/france/article/2026/07/12/france-powers-down-several-nuclear-reactors-due-to-extreme-heat_6755404_7.html
21 comments
They should figure out a way to use the heatwave to drive a turbine.
It’s always a problem of too much entropy.
So yeah in the mostly probable case that reading was not involved in many of the comments, they were not shut down for a technical issue but the govt stops them from discharging the water.
All the reactor works fine and would work fine. Gov makes choice to let people hurt
All the reactor works fine and would work fine. Gov makes choice to let people hurt
Indeed, it's mentioned in the article: "The measure is an environmental protection requirement to avoid discharging too much hot water into rivers already warming from the heatwave."
France (and to a lesser extent large parts of europe) is currently suffering from an exceptional heat wave.
France (and to a lesser extent large parts of europe) is currently suffering from an exceptional heat wave.
You kinda don’t want to kill the whole river ecosystem. We need a functioning environment
Correct, and they are discharging water because they cheapen out on not building cooling towers. So the issue is actually completely fixable, but it is a question if building cooling towers is cheaper than shutting down reactors for few weeks a year.
Doesn’t happen to solar plants.
Their nuclear reactor goes away every night though.
Pair them with wind power, that tends to blow more at night, and with batteries like there's no tomorrow, because there isn't unless we wake up!
Obviously the solution to that is to put mirrors in space to reflect sunlight so their collectors also work at night.
Looks like someone had the same idea https://www.space.com/space-exploration/satellites/reflect-o...
“We have these things called ‘batteries.’” —- Rep. Magaziner from the great state of Rhode Island during a recent Congressional hearing.
https://www.ms.now/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/bergum-trum...
https://bsky.app/profile/atrupar.com/post/3mlqlavgdkk2a
https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/batteries/chart-grid-ba...
https://www.solarpowereurope.org/press-releases/new-report-e...
https://www.ms.now/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/bergum-trum...
https://bsky.app/profile/atrupar.com/post/3mlqlavgdkk2a
https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/batteries/chart-grid-ba...
https://www.solarpowereurope.org/press-releases/new-report-e...
I was sure this couldn't be true but I couldn't find anything about high temperatures shutting down solar plants.
But I did find something about a predicted grid overload during a sunny period requiring a solar plant to go offline:
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/jul/12/solar-fa...
But I did find something about a predicted grid overload during a sunny period requiring a solar plant to go offline:
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/jul/12/solar-fa...
Just redirect the solar power to cool the water going out of the nuclear powerplant.
"Just".
My 4th grade physics knowledge is telling me this doesn't work, because the heat energy from the water still has to go somewhere...
"Just".
My 4th grade physics knowledge is telling me this doesn't work, because the heat energy from the water still has to go somewhere...
Because they need more battery storage, which Europe is rapidly building.
It does when it rains, or it's too cloudy, or it snows, or the panels are dirty. Or, y'know, nighttime.