A nuclear reactor at the Golfech power plant in France had to be shut down due to soaring temperatures during the ongoing heatwave in Europe. The reactor, located in the Tarn-et-Garonne department, was taken offline as high temperatures in the River Garonne, its cooling water source, neared the plant’s safety limit. This action was prompted by the red heatwave alert issued for nine French departments by the national weather service, with the Garonne’s temperature forecasted to hit 28C.
In compliance with a 2006 regulation, the river’s temperature must not exceed 28C post-discharge from the power plant. The discharged water typically registers 0.2C higher than the river’s natural temperature. Reactor 2, the sole operating unit at Golfech, was shut down as Reactor 1 was already offline for maintenance since May. Both reactors have a capacity of 1.3GW and are around 55 miles from Toulouse.
The shutdown occurred on July 9 at 11:30 a.m. as a precautionary measure due to the rising Garonne temperature. This was not the first instance, as EDF previously suspended operations at Golfech in late June for similar reasons before restarting on July 3. EDF also halted operations at two other nuclear reactors during the previous heatwave to comply with environmental regulations on river temperatures.
The Copernicus Climate Change Service reported that western Europe encountered its hottest June on record this year, with an average temperature exceeding the 1991-2020 average by more than 3C. Experts predict more frequent and severe heatwaves in a warming world, impacting larger geographic regions and lasting longer.
