French Companies ‘Crushed’ by Power Costs, Says Trade Group
- Low availability of plants is hurting competitiveness: Uniden
- Premium of French power prices to those in Germany increases
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The low availability of nuclear plants in France is causing power prices to soar, crushing the competitiveness of the nation’s companies, according to the Uniden trade group that represents energy-intensive industries.
Electricite de France SA this week announced new or extended outages at four of the nation’s 56 nuclear reactors during winter, when demand peaks. Available nuclear capacity in France is already below average for the time of year, and the halts -- combined with record natural gas and carbon prices -- have pushed power costs to fresh records, with a widening premium over those in neighboring Germany.