Europe’s extreme heat is shutting down power plants

France's nuclear power generation is being curtailed due to record-breaking heat, impacting the national grid. On June 22, unit two at the Golfech nuclear power plant shut down after the Garonne River, used for cooling, exceeded regulatory temperature limits. This precautionary measure, confirmed by EDF spokesperson Brid Nelligan, involved the plant returning water to the river at a temperature expected to reach 28 °C (82 °F), which is above the permitted threshold. EDF, which manages France's nuclear fleet, is also reducing output from other reactors, including one at the Nogent-sur-Seine power plant as of Tuesday, with further limitations anticipated. This situation echoes a July 2025 heatwave when at least seven gigawatts of nuclear energy production were halted across France, a capacity exceeding Ireland's entire grid. Despite these shutdowns and limitations, RTE, the national electric grid operator, anticipates that France will still be able to meet energy demand.