Possible blackouts in France
Posted: 7th November 2022
France is staring down a serious risk of blackouts this winter, with French utility EDF lowering its nuclear power output forecast for this year to 275-285 terawatt hours, according to Bloomberg’s Javier Blas. The shift in power forecast is a sizeable one, down from its previous 280-300 TWh, which EDF attributes to strikes on maintenance schedules, and extended maintenance outages to address stress corrosion issues. Its previous forecast was already a significant revision—not to mention the third revision—and represented a 30-year low due in part to a string of backlogged maintenance during Covid. For next year, EDF kept its estimated nuclear power output at 300-330 TWF. And for 2024, EDF is targeting between 315 TWh and 345 TWh.
Oil Price 4th Nov 2022
Nuclear power provides 70pc of French electricity. The failure to replace ageing infrastructure has left more than half of the 56 reactors out of service as the worst winter in living memory approaches. EDF, which operates the plants, has been nationalised and, for the first time in decades, France is importing more energy than it exports, only narrowly avoiding blackouts so far. For the foreseeable future, the country has not only been overtaken by Sweden as Europe’s leading electricity exporter, but has lost its vaunted reputation for energy security.
Telegraph 6th Nov 2022