TRUE OR FAKE: Do discharges from nuclear or thermal power plants contribute to global warming in the Mediterranean?

Here is what Jean-Luc Mélenchon said at the end of August, at the closing meeting of the summer universities of La France Insoumise: “It is being criminal to give authorizations so that we discharge into the water the share of water that we will be able to consume to cool the plant, so that the nuclear plants which discharge hot water contribute to the warming of the Mediterranean Sea”. What is true is that nuclear power plants use a large amount of water to cool their reactor. This can be pumped into a river or the sea, before being discharged, warmer, into its natural environment.

However, there is no French nuclear power plant discharging its waters directly into the Mediterranean. “We don’t have a power plant in France that directly heats the Mediterranean, there is a power plant in Spain to my knowledge”says Adrien Bidaud, lecturer at the Polytechnic Institute of Grenoble.

In reality, the Mediterranean Sea is warming up, but much more because of human action than because of discharges from nuclear power plants. This is the finding of the Institute for Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety. What about discharges into French waterways?

In order to preserve aquatic fauna and flora, the regulations provide for a temperature threshold to be respected for discharges. But with the heat wave of August, five power plants obtained exemptions, in order to be able to exceed their threshold. Until September 11, they can pour into the rivers waters that are warmer than usual. Something to worry about NGOs.

It is false to assert that discharges from nuclear or thermal power stations contribute to global warming in the Mediterranean. However, this type of discharge can have a negative impact on local biodiversity, whether in a river or in the sea.