(Bloomberg) -- Electricite de France SA is likely to cut production at more nuclear reactors as a heat wave intensifies in the coming days.
Broad swaths of the country may see temperatures above 40C (104F) this weekend, with forecaster Meteo France expanding the areas under orange heat warnings.
EDF sometimes has to curtail nuclear output during hot weather, since the water it uses to cool reactors is released into rivers, and overheating waterways can threaten fish and other wildlife. Restrictions may affect four atomic plants this weekend, up from two previously, the French grid operator said in a statement.
France’s fleet of 56 reactors provides more than two-thirds of the country’s electricity and is vital to Europe’s energy security. The potential nuclear curbs are no cause for concern in terms of overall power supply, but there’s a chance prices may move higher in the short term.
Electricity for Friday delivery in France settled at €23.79 a megawatt-hour, compared with €53.32 across the border in Germany on the Epex Spot SE exchange.
Elsewhere on the continent, Spain remains blanketed by searing heat, while Greece is experiencing the worst fire season in two decades. Some blazes there have affected tourist areas, with one raging for a third day in the Rethymno district of central Crete and most of the Aegean Islands at very high risk. Temperatures are forecast to reach 40C by Monday.
--With assistance from Sotiris Nikas.
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