French Energy System Disrupted by Strikes Over Pension Plan
- Fuel deliveries from Total and Exxon’s refineries are blocked
- LNG import terminals are halted, power output is disrupted
Protesters gather at the Exxon-Mobil Port Jerome Gravenchon refinery, in Port-Jerome-sur-Seine, near Le Havre, on March 7.
Photographer: Lou Benoist/AFP/Getty Images
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French energy infrastructure from natural gas import terminals to oil refineries and power plants were disrupted on Tuesday by protests against government plans to increase the retirement age.
The labor protests are putting additional pressure on French energy supplies, which have been hit by prolonged outages at some nuclear reactors and reduced gas flows from Russia. A cold snap in the UK — which trades electricity with France — is temporarily adding strain to the region’s power grid.