France Needs to Study Impact of Global Warming on Nuclear Plants, Watchdog Says
- Safety and security of supply could be affected: watchdog head
- EDF must accelerate studies on extending life of atomic plants
Vapor rises from cooling towers at a nuclear power plant in Saint-Laurent-des-Eaux, France.
Photographer: Balint Porneczi/Bloomberg
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Electricite de France SA and French authorities must get a better understanding of the impact of global warming on the country’s nuclear-reactor fleet, an industry watchdog said.
President Emmanuel Macron last year asked state-controlled EDF to prepare to construct at least six new atomic plants and to extend the lifespan of 56 existing units as part of a plan to become carbon neutral by 2050. However, rising temperatures, droughts and sea level changes could affect both safety and security of supply, Bernard Doroszczuk, chairman of Autorite de Surete Nucleaire, said in Montrouge just outside of Paris Monday.