© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: Steam rises from cooling towers of the Electricite de France (EDF) nuclear energy plant in Belleville-sur-Loire, France October 12, 2021. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/File Photograph
PARIS (Reuters) – Strike motion over wage calls for was hitting a 3rd of EDF (EPA:)’s 18 French nuclear crops as of Friday evening, a spokesperson for the utility mentioned, additional delaying the upkeep of its reactors.
“Six websites (had been) affected by strikes as of final evening,” the spokesperson mentioned on Saturday.
This led to the postponement of the restart date of 5 reactors at the moment below upkeep by “one to a number of days”, the spokesperson for EDF added.
Nuclear energy represented greater than two thirds of France’s complete electrical energy manufacturing in 2021, in response to knowledge from grid operator RTE.
The nation will probably be wanting between 5 and 15 gigawatts (GW) of energy at peak demand this winter relying on the temperature and might want to primarily depend on imports, in response to forecast fashions developed by EDF’s works council CSE.
France must purchase electrical energy available on the market this winter or produce it from fuel, and there’s no assure that neighbouring international locations will probably be ready to promote their electrical energy, CSE consultant Philippe Web page le Merour has mentioned, given the vitality disaster in Europe.
A consultant for France’s FNME commerce union mentioned on Friday that upkeep work at 9 nuclear reactors cut up between 5 websites had been delayed on account of a strike over wages.
