French energy company EDF has shut down three nuclear reactors after drought conditions reduced water levels in the Meuse and Moselle rivers, local media reported.
According to Le Figaro, two reactors at the Chooz nuclear power plant in the Ardennes region and one reactor at the Cattenom plant in Moselle remained offline as of Monday.
EDF said it shut down Chooz reactor No. 1 on Saturday in accordance with a 1998 Franco-Belgian agreement governing water management in the Meuse River. The plant’s second reactor has been offline since July 11 under the same arrangement.
The agreement allows electricity production to be reduced to maintain adequate river flows for users in both France and Belgium.
The company also suspended operations at one reactor at the Cattenom plant as a precaution due to declining water levels in the Moselle River.
In addition, EDF has reduced or plans to reduce output at four other reactors: Bugey 3, Tricastin 4, and Saint-Alban 1 and 2.
France operates 57 nuclear reactors, which generate around 70% of the country’s electricity.
Nuclear power stations rely on large volumes of water for cooling, and droughts and heatwaves can force operators to reduce or halt production to protect river ecosystems from excessive warming and pollution.
The Ardennes and Moselle departments were placed under a yellow heatwave alert on Monday as high temperatures continued across parts of France.