France’s nuclear reactors will not work as normal any time soon
The trouble will persist well into next year
When EDF, the French energy giant, warned in May that nuclear-electricity production this year would be lower than previously forecast because half its reactors were out of action, the timing could not have been worse. Thanks to its nuclear industry, France is usually Europe’s biggest net exporter of electricity. The closures turned the country into a net power importer for the first time, just as the continent faced an energy crunch. When in September EDF then announced that even by 2024 output would still be well below normal levels, the problem became a national embarrassment.
This article appeared in the Europe section of the print edition under the headline “Out of order”
Europe October 15th 2022
- The war in Ukraine has battered the reputation of Russian spies
- Russia’s terror strikes fail to do much damage to Ukraine
- France’s nuclear reactors will not work as normal any time soon
- Why Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan need each other
- After years of arguing, are Britain and Europe about to get along?
From the October 15th 2022 edition
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Emmanuel Macron shows off the gloriously restored Notre Dame
Five years after it was gutted by fire, the cathedral is more beautiful than ever
Ursula von der Leyen has a new doctrine for handling the hard right
The boss of the European Commission embarks on a second term
Marine Le Pen spooks the bond markets
She threatens to bring down the French government, but also faces a possible ban from politics
The maths of Europe’s military black hole
It needs to spend to defend, but voters may balk
Ukraine’s warriors brace for a Kremlin surge in the south
Vladimir Putin’s war machine is pushing harder and crushing Ukrainian morale
Vladimir Putin fires a new missile to amplify his nuclear threats
The attack on Ukraine is part of a new era of missile warfare