Heat Wave Is Pushing Europe’s Energy System to the Limit
- Hot weather hurting power plant efficiency, LCP says
- Rhine levels dropping, impeding power station coal deliveries
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A scorching heat wave is pushing Europe’s power system to the edge, testing energy policies typically geared toward meeting demand in winter, according to Lane Clark & Peacock LLP.
With the extreme heat, power production is curbed as natural gas-fired stations run less efficiently and nuclear generators struggle keep their plants cool. Warmer temperatures also impact waterways, with Germany’s Rhine river at the shallowest in at least 15 years on a seasonal basis and threatening deliveries of coal to power plants.