EDF has temporarily closed three nuclear reactors in France as a result of the ongoing heatwave, with seven others potentially needing to adjust their power output.
EDF said the measure is an environmental protection requirement to avoid discharging excessively hot water into rivers that are already warming because of the heatwave.
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“There is no nuclear safety risk. Reactors are capable of operating under high-temperature conditions. These limits are intended to protect aquatic flora and fauna,” said an EDF spokesperson.
Three reactors are currently offline: unit 2 at Golfech (1.3GW-electrical, or GWe), unit 3 at Bugey (900MW-electrical) and unit 2 at Chooz (1.45GWe). Together, these count for 3.65GWe of capacity, equivalent to approximately 6% of France’s 61GWe installed nuclear fleet.
Based on meteorological forecasts, Bugey 3 is currently scheduled to remain offline until 19 July, Golfech 2 until 22 July and Chooz 2 until 25 July. The scheduling and duration of these environmentally driven reactor outages will be adjusted according to changes in weather forecasts. The shutdowns are the second time in recent weeks that EDF has had to stop nuclear reactors due to extreme heat.
EDF told Euronews that the impact of droughts and heatwaves on nuclear generation is limited. “Since 2000, production losses resulting from high river water temperatures and low river flows have represented, on average, 0.3% of the French nuclear fleet’s annual electricity generation.”
EDF said it has an adaptation plan to prepare for the consequences of climate change, covering its nuclear, hydropower and island energy operations in France. The company said it disclosed in early 2026 that the estimated cost of the plan is €8.7bn ($9.98bn) over the next 15 years.
The plan includes measures to improve the resilience of nuclear power generation during periods of extreme heat. One option under consideration is to cool water discharged from the blowdown process of existing cooling towers before it is released into the environment. The spokesperson said such a system is already in operation at the Civaux nuclear power plant.
