Delays extend from one day to almost three weeks depending on the reactors. The strike movement to obtain an increase in wages has been renewed this weekend in six power stations.
Le Monde with AFP
While France is experiencing an energy crisis as all of Europe and the strike movement affecting refineries has extended to certain nuclear power plants, EDF has redeem the restart of five reactors, learned the France- Press (AFP), Saturday October 15, with the company.
Social movements can “have an impact on the return schedule in production of certain reactors”, recognized, on Wednesday, a spokesperson for the group at AFP. “For production reactors, this can result in temporary power reductions,” she added.
The French electrical giant thus updated, at the end of the week, the restart date of several reactors, on its website . This concerns the Cattenom 1, Cruas 2 and 3, Saint-Alban 2 and Tricastin 3 reactors for delays that extend from one day to almost three weeks depending on the reactors.
strike in six power plants
Friday, the company, in the process of being completely renationalized, has found social movements in six of the eighteen centrals in the country, where the strike was renewed for the weekend. This movement aims to put pressure on the salary negotiations of companies in the energy sector. At EDF, a first meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, the day of interprofessional mobilization organized at the call of four trade union organizations.
The largest nuclear power plant in France, that of Gravelines (North), is notably affected by the strike movement, just like those of Cruas (Ardèche), Belleville-sur-Loire (Cher), du Bugey (Ain) , from Tricastin (Drôme) and Cattenom (Moselle). Against the background of high inflation and carried by the social movement which made oil stain in the refineries last week, employees of the sector claim an increase in wages up to 5 % for 2022 and 2023.
If this social movement has no impact at this stage for the general public and essentially weighs on EDF’s finances, it could “impact the calendar” of nuclear slices on the network, the Most of the strike power plants being subject to maintenance operations, precisely argued, Friday, to AFP Claude Martin, of the National Federation of Mines and Industry (FNME-CGT).
Emmanuel Macron has promised a discount “in the coming weeks” of ten reactors
“We are today at thirty reactors out of fifty-six that work, we will go in the coming weeks to about forty, the goal is to switch to forty-five in January,” said President Emmanuel, however Macron during a television interview on France 2 Wednesday. “This objective, everything indicates that we will hold it,” he promised.
Approaching winter, France is weakened due to the lowest nuclear power production, linked to work or corrosion problems on part of its nuclear reactors, against the backdrop of the energy crisis European -related European in Ukraine. And it can hardly count on its hydraulic production, reduced due to drought.
The manager of the electricity transport network (RTE) had considered in September the risk of tension on the electricity network this winter “increased” but “controllable thanks to a strong mobilization” in favor of energy savings, While the government presented its incentive plan to sobriety in early October.