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(Bloomberg) — Electricite de France SA said it may be forced to curb nuclear output at the Saint-Alban nuclear site next week, a first sign that hotter weather risks tightening French power supplies this summer.
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EDF said production restrictions could take place from June 15 for two days and will be confirmed a day before, according to a notice on the company’s website, which marked the first of its kind this summer. Higher river temperatures can force nuclear reactors to reduce output or shut down if waterways become too warm to provide cooling while meeting environmental requirements.
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France’s nuclear sites are a key part of Europe’s energy supply, and EDF has already been considering adaptation measures. Hot weather has been a major factor behind a 15% jump in French month-ahead power prices this week, with gains outpacing those for the German equivalent.
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Temperatures are forecast to rise quickly this week as a high-pressure system expands across western Europe, according to weather models and government forecaster Météo-France.
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A heat wave is set to begin on Friday, with temperatures approaching 30C near the Mediterranean. By Saturday, daytime highs of around 35C are possible in the southwest, with 30C temperatures spreading further north. The high-pressure system is forecast to clear out clouds, fueling unusually sunny conditions and record solar production, and is expected to linger until early next week, Météo-France said.
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A similar weather pattern drove a deadly heat wave in late May that broke records in France, the UK, Ireland, Spain and Portugal. May 2026 was the second-warmest May on record globally, according to Europe’s Copernicus satellite monitoring service.
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The river temperature at a monitoring station in Geneva has risen by about 8C since last Friday, according to data from Switzerland’s Federal Office for the Environment. While the location is much farther upstream than the reactor, it provides an indication of how quickly water temperatures are increasing.
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