Because of ailing French nuclear reactors, Germany has to supply electricity to the neighboring country for the first time. According to the operators, the current strikes by workers are jeopardizing the start-up of several reactors. For the winter, Paris expects critical moments.
Ongoing strikes at French nuclear power plants could endanger power supplies in winter. The current protests by workers at nuclear power plants have resulted in the startup of several reactors being delayed by two to three weeks, the network operator RTE in Paris warned. At the beginning of November, production is expected to be lower than previously assumed.
The French nuclear reactors are currently producing around 30 gigawatts, which is eight gigawatts less than the previous historic low, RTE said. The total capacity of the French nuclear park is around 61 gigawatts. Workers at several nuclear power plants are currently on strike to back their demands for pay rises.
President Emmanuel Macron said last week that 30 of a total of 56 reactors are currently online. The operator EDF has committed to running 45 reactors again by January. RTE estimates that repair work on reactors affected by corrosion is proceeding satisfactorily. They have been completed in four reactors and are imminent in several others.
Because of the ongoing problems with nuclear power plants, which have had to be shut down for maintenance or corrosion damage, Germany is supplying additional electricity to France this winter in exchange for gas from the neighboring country. The network operator expects several critical moments for the coming winter. These could occur during the main consumption times in the morning or between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. “The risk of a power outage can be avoided if power consumption is reduced by one to five percent and in extreme cases by up to 15 percent,” emphasized RTE.
A display of the country’s current electricity consumption called Ecowatt is intended to help curb consumption. France’s citizens are encouraged to sign up to receive targeted electricity-saving requests in the event of supply problems. The increased energy prices have already led to lower electricity consumption. In addition, dams and gas storage facilities are sufficiently full, emphasized RTE.
“We can rule out many risks if we seriously save electricity,” said RTE boss Xavier Piechaczyk. In this way, France can easily get through a particularly cold winter without any problems.