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Five French nuclear power plants have obtained authorization to continue to discharge the water from their cooling circuits into the environment. The derogation is debated. The government considers the measure essential to ensure the production of electricity this summer. But for ecologists, these discharges are harmful to biodiversity.
With the high temperatures, the Garonne is around 28°C. However, the nuclear power plant Golfech (Tarn et Garonne) may continue to discharge even warmer waters than usual due to an override. An environmental association is concerned about the consequences for the aquatic environment. “A water that is discharged with a temperature above 30°C or more means that, physically, it has a lower oxygen content. Fish, like all of us, need oxygen.reports Jean-Louis Dupin, of the Citizen Radioactivity Monitoring Network Golfech-The Blaye.
To operate, each plant must pump water to cool its reactors before rejecting it a little hotter in the same place. This summer, due to the heat wave, five French power plants will be able to exceed the normally authorized temperature thresholds. According to the operator of the electricity network, this makes it possible to ensure a minimum level of production in the power stations. The government is afraid ofare shortages next winter and therefore prefers to use the electricity from the nuclear fleet now in order to store other energies, Phone than gas. The derogation is currently scheduled until September 11.