EU to brace for ‘starkest’ winter as due to 'energy war'
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French nuclear reactors are currently grappling with low nuclear output, causing energy prices in Europe to soar further. The country’s nuclear reactors have been faced with a number of technical problems over the past year, with authorities most recently discovering cracks in emergency cooling circuits, which experts warned could cause “Fukushima-style” accidents. As a result of these other technical problems, about half of EDF’s nuclear reactors are currently shut down.
Meanwhile, droughts have also lowered the country’s hydroelectric power output, which is another key source of electricity generation.
Bruno Burger, an energy expert, shared an infographic of France’s energy output tweeting: “French electricity generation from nuclear power plants fell below 20 GW on Sunday.
“This is less than one-third of the installed capacity.”
France’s struggle to generate enough electricity to wean off Russian gas imports has led to French Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne warning the government may have to ration energy this winter.
During an annual conference hosted by France’s largest employers’ federation, she urged companies to “go further” in reducing their energy consumption, particularly as Russian President Vladimir Putin threatens to cut off gas supplies this winter.
Today, Gazprom announced that it would officially cut deliveries of gas to Engie, a french energy supplier, over a contract dispute.
She warned that a total cutoff from Russian energy exports threatened to spark “brutal gas outages [with] serious economic and social consequences.”
She said: “In September, every company should put in place its own plan to save energy.
“If we act collectively, we can overcome the risk of shortages.
“But if each one of us fails to do our part, or if all negative outlooks come to fruition at once, we will have to impose a decrease in consumption.
“If we end up with rationing, companies will be the first hit and unfortunately we need to be prepared for it.”
The French Prime Minister has ordered all government ministries to draw up plans to slash 10 percent of their energy uses over the next two years.
As France struggles to generate electricity from nuclear, it is being forced to import power from neighbouring countries.
This power is primarily generated through natural gas, which is currently at record, and is climbing further as demand from France grows.
German state secretary in the economy ministry, Patrick Graichen said: “In France, only half the reactors are running.
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“France is buying elsewhere even if power is expensive.”
He also noted that Berlin and gas-heavy Italy are sending power to France.
Together, France and Germany account for two-thirds of western Europe’s power consumption within an interconnected market
The benchmark German front-year baseload power price on Monday set a record high of €709 (£603) a megawatt-hour (MWh) and has gained 50% over the past fortnight.
Power had already been surging from last month after Russia’s energy giant Gazprom did not fully restart the Nord Stream 1 pipeline after maintenance, citing trouble with a turbine and raising prospects that power stations will suffer acute shortages.
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