Europe’s Atomic Powerhouse Sees Reactor Fleet Return to Strength
- Prolonged maintenance shutdowns in France are finally complete
- Reactor restarts have helped stabilize European power prices
The Bugey nuclear power station operated by Electricitie de France SA in Bugey, France.
Photographer: Jose Cendon/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
France’s sprawling nuclear energy industry, the backbone of Europe’s power system, is finally back to strength.
The country’s reactor fleet will boast the most available capacity in at least five years in 2024, according to researcher BloombergNEF. That’s a far cry from the dwindling generation of recent years, when extended plant halts — combined with Russian gas cuts — brought Europe close to blackouts.