To add: They are idling b.c. 1) some are old and under disrepair and 2) it's so hot right now, that there is not enough cooling to run them at full load.

The water in the rivers providing cooling water is so warm that the water that comes out the other end crosses a temperature threshold set to protect the river down stream. As I understand the situation at least. Technically the plants can run at full load, but you'd risk harm life in the river downstream.

I had no idea outputs are hindered by weather. Do you know if this applies to newer reactors as well, or just older ones France is operating?

France claims two things:

- Reactors are seasonally idle and will ramp back up for winter - During this normally idle time, they do maintenance

https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/minister-fren...

Perhaps this idea that "half of France's reactors are idle" is partly true, partly scare tactics from the "anti-nuke" group?

Nuclear reactors require vast amounts of cooling water so timing your "down time" to coincide with low water levels does make sense.

Here(Ontario) we build them on the shores of Lake Ontario and the intake pipe extends far into the lake to avoid any sort of water level fluctuations impacting power production.

This summer, France has been importing significant amounts of electricity from countries that burn gas or coal. You don't do that if you have plenty of nuclear power available.

Re-read what i wrote.. if you know that water levels will be low and you purposely idle your reactors annually.. then you do import power.

It looks like this is NOT a new problem (from 2016) https://www.economist.com/business/2016/12/01/frances-nuclea...

This can in theory happen to any steam-based power plant. Using steam to generate electricity is about 30% efficient. So you still need to get rid of the other 70% of heat that is generated, but not converted to electricity.

So it would also happen to power plants that burn coal.

This! People think this is a "nuclear" problem. .it is a cooling water problem regardless of where the heat came from.

These things can run in the middle east or India. The concern is that river life will be harmed.

55% of French electricity as of right now: https://app.electricitymaps.com/zone/FR?solar=false&remote=t...

>> where are the nuclear reactors?

> In France. Mostly idling.

Isn't the problem natural gas and not electricity? If there was a reactor on every corner wouldn't Germany and the other countries still be in the same boat? They can't convert all that natural gas infrastructure over to electricity in a couple months..