Europe’s extreme heat is shutting down power plants
Europe’s extreme heat is shutting down power plants
欧洲极端高温导致发电厂被迫停运
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Europe is in the middle of a record-breaking heat wave, and the grid is being pushed to its limits as people turn to fans and air-conditioning to try to stay cool. Some power plants won’t be online to help handle the load. 执行摘要 欧洲正处于一场破纪录的热浪之中，随着人们纷纷开启风扇和空调以求降温，电网正被推向极限。一些发电厂将无法上线以协助应对电力负荷。
On June 23, France saw its hottest day since record-keeping began in 1947. Temperatures climbed to over 44 °C (111 °F), and overnight temperatures remained unusually high. This prolonged hot weather warmed up the water in some rivers across the country, a problem for the many nuclear plants that rely on those bodies of water for cooling. 6月23日，法国经历了自1947年有记录以来的最热一天。气温攀升至44°C（111°F）以上，且夜间气温也异常偏高。这种持续的炎热天气导致法国境内部分河流的水温升高，这对许多依赖这些水体进行冷却的核电站来说是一个难题。
One reactor has already shut down, and others are being ramped down or will see limitations later in the week. Unit two at the Golfech nuclear power plant in southern France shut down at about 11:45 p.m. on June 22 when the river used to cool the plant got too hot. The move was a precautionary measure, according to Brid Nelligan, a spokesperson for EDF, the plant’s owner and operator. 目前已有一座反应堆停运，其他反应堆正在减产或将在本周晚些时候面临限制。法国南部戈尔费什（Golfech）核电站的二号机组于6月22日晚上11:45左右关闭，原因是用于冷却电站的河水温度过高。该电站的所有者兼运营商法国电力公司（EDF）发言人布里德·内利根（Brid Nelligan）表示，此举是一项预防措施。
The power plant takes in water from the Garonne River and then returns most of it to the river at slightly higher temperatures after using it to cool equipment. French regulations limit the temperature of that return stream, so the warm water (it was expected to reach 28 °C, or around 82 °F) forced the operator to shut down the plant. 该发电厂从加龙河（Garonne River）取水，在用于冷却设备后，将大部分水以略高的温度排回河中。法国法规对回流水温有限制，因此温水（预计将达到28°C，即约82°F）迫使运营商关闭了该电厂。
EDF, which operates France’s entire nuclear fleet, is also limiting the output of other reactors across the country—one reactor at the Nogent-sur-Seine power plant was ramped down as of Tuesday, and more will follow later in the week, Nelligan says. 内利根表示，运营法国所有核电设施的法国电力公司（EDF）也正在限制全国其他反应堆的输出——截至周二，诺让塞纳（Nogent-sur-Seine）核电站的一座反应堆已经减产，本周晚些时候还会有更多反应堆跟进。
Extreme heat has affected France’s nuclear industry before. At least seven gigawatts’ worth of nuclear energy was forced to shut down across the country during a heat wave in July 2025, according to data from Ember Energy. That’s more than the entire grid of Ireland. 极端高温此前也曾影响过法国的核工业。根据Ember Energy的数据，在2025年7月的热浪期间，法国全国至少有7吉瓦的核能被迫停运。这超过了爱尔兰整个电网的容量。
This time, power plant outages and limitations aren’t expected to be drastic enough to affect the ability to meet demand in France, according to RTE, operator of the national electric grid. 据法国国家电网运营商RTE称，此次发电厂的停运和限制预计不会严重到影响法国的电力需求满足能力。
Nuclear power has made most of the headlines during this heat wave, but other forms of electricity generation face similar challenges. Hydropower plants frequently run into problems when dry conditions lower the amount of water available to generate energy and force them to decrease or shut off operations. In the first five months of 2025, high temperatures and low water conditions cut hydropower supplies in Europe by 13% compared with the year before. 在这场热浪中，核电占据了大部分新闻头条，但其他形式的发电也面临着类似的挑战。当干旱导致可用于发电的水量减少，迫使水电站减少或停止运营时，水电站经常会遇到问题。2025年前五个月，高温和低水位导致欧洲的水电供应量同比下降了13%。
Even established coal and natural-gas plants can be challenged by high temperatures. Hot weather can stress equipment and limit the efficiency of cooling towers. Five gas plants across the UK have reported output reductions due to the conditions, cutting a total of about 2.5 gigawatts from the power supply. 即使是成熟的煤电厂和天然气发电厂也会受到高温的挑战。炎热的天气会给设备带来压力，并限制冷却塔的效率。英国有五家天然气发电厂报告称，由于这些条件，产量有所下降，总共减少了约2.5吉瓦的电力供应。
Increased demand, largely driven by cooling, is the main factor stressing Europe’s power grid, says Jean-Paul Harreman, director of Montel, an energy intelligence provider, via email. Even countries that haven’t historically relied much on cooling technologies are turning to them now—the number of UK homes that use air-conditioning has roughly doubled since 2022. 能源情报提供商Montel的总监让-保罗·哈雷曼（Jean-Paul Harreman）通过电子邮件表示，主要由制冷需求驱动的电力需求增长，是给欧洲电网带来压力的主要因素。即使是历史上不太依赖制冷技术的国家现在也开始转向使用这些技术——自2022年以来，使用空调的英国家庭数量大约翻了一番。
Around the world, the challenges heat presents for the grid are only expected to get worse as climate change brings more frequent and intense heat waves. Globally, energy use for cooling is set to double by 2050 relative to 2023 levels, according to the International Energy Agency. 在世界范围内，随着气候变化带来更频繁和更强烈的热浪，高温给电网带来的挑战预计只会愈演愈烈。根据国际能源署的数据，到2050年，全球用于制冷的能源消耗量预计将比2023年水平翻一番。
“Utilities can adapt by planning for summer peaks, making cooling demand more flexible, reinforcing grids for high temperatures, deploying batteries and demand response, and climate-proofing power plants’ cooling systems,” says Simone Tagliapietra, senior fellow at Bruegel, an economic and policy think tank, via email. 经济与政策智库Bruegel的高级研究员西蒙·塔利亚皮特拉（Simone Tagliapietra）通过电子邮件表示：“公用事业公司可以通过规划夏季高峰、提高制冷需求的灵活性、加强电网以应对高温、部署电池和需求响应，以及对发电厂的冷却系统进行气候防护来适应这种情况。”
But those changes could be expensive. Earlier this year, EDF shared a climate-change vulnerability assessment for its business, including nuclear and hydropower operations across France. Upgrades are expected to cost about €600 million per year (about $680 million) over the next 15 years. Meanwhile, high temperatures are expected to continue across much of Europe through the end of the week. 但这些改变可能代价高昂。今年早些时候，法国电力公司（EDF）分享了一份针对其业务的气候变化脆弱性评估，其中包括法国各地的核电和水电运营。预计未来15年内，升级改造每年将耗资约6亿欧元（约合6.8亿美元）。与此同时，预计欧洲大部分地区的高温天气将持续到本周末。