Extreme heat waves are forcing Europe’s nuclear fleet offline as cooling systems struggle to adapt to climate change. (Bloomberg)
Weather-related nuclear outages (mainly caused by elevated temperatures of cooling water) increased threefold from 2010–2019 compared to the decade before.
It’s a wake-up call: Earlier this summer, rising river temperatures led to shutdowns of major nuclear reactors in France and Switzerland, which doubled electricity prices and forced utilities to rely on fossil power or costly imports.