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Europe heatwave disrupts energy deliveries and raises costs
France cut nuclear output by 6.4 gigawatts, about 14% of daily demand, as river temperatures limited reactor cooling.
An early summer heatwave across Europe is increasingly affecting energy supply and transport, with major rivers warming and water levels dropping enough to disrupt deliveries, power generation, and key inland shipping routes, OilPrice reports.
The problem has been unfolding since at least June in countries including Germany and France, where limited rainfall has reduced river flows and introduced navigation restrictions that curb barge freight volumes. The resulting strain is pushing up shipping costs and adding economic and inflationary pressure at a time when Europe is already dealing with higher energy costs tied to the protracted Strait of Hormuz situation.
In France, the heatwave has also directly constrained electricity production, with nuclear power generation slashed by 6.4 gigawatts, about 14% of the country’s total power demand for the day, after higher river temperatures limited the water available to cool reactors. OilPrice notes that France continued exporting electricity to neighbors despite the reduced nuclear output, and says similar summer curtailments may be happening more often as heatwaves grow longer and more extreme.