A “prolongation of the social movement” in the nuclear power plants “would have heavy consequences” on the electricity supply in “the heart of winter”, estimated Tuesday the manager of the electricity transmission network in France RTE in a statement.
In the short term, RTE considers “very low” to “moderate” the risk to the security of electricity supply in the coming weeks, according to the statement of the manager who presented its forecasts for the period from mid-October to mid-November.
Among the reasons given for this low risk, RTE considers that the occurrence of early or severe cold episodes is “very unlikely” between now and the end of October, but also that “the filling of gas stocks in France and in Europe” has now reached “very high levels”.
On September 14, when it unveiled its winter scenarios, RTE had placed the security of electricity supply under reinforced vigilance, and this, as early as the autumn, an exceptional fact.
In the context of a global energy crisis, as winter approaches, France is in fact weakened by a low level of nuclear electricity production due to maintenance work and corrosion problems. In addition, the strike over wages that has been affecting the nuclear fleet for several weeks may “have an impact on the schedule for the return to production of certain reactors,” according to EDF.
The electric company has already postponed the restart of five reactors. If “the availability of the nuclear fleet is, as of October 17, exactly in line with the forecast of RTE at the beginning of September (…) it should deviate from it downwards from the end of October and until mid-November at least”, estimates RTE today.
The repair work on the pipe sections and the controls for the stress corrosion defect are progressing well in a “favourable” manner. However, the social movements have led to “shutdown extensions generally of two to three weeks on the reactors” to deal with these problems or “delays in the maintenance of the reactors”. Consequence for RTE: “this will lead to an availability lower than the central scenario of RTE during the first part of November at least”.
