Arson arrests and a 42C heatwave are now colliding with the Golfech nuclear power plant in south-west France. EDF restarted the plant on Sunday, July 26, after a 17-day shutdown tied to the River Garonne approaching the 28C cooling limit.
The plant’s restart has not ended the risk. France’s latest heatwave is expected to drive temperatures to 42C, and that puts fresh pressure on the same cooling conditions that forced the earlier stoppage.
EDF and the Garonne
EDF shut production unit No. 2 at the Golfech nuclear power station at 11:30 a.m. on Thursday July 9 as a precautionary measure. The company said then that the temperature of the Garonne was expected to reach 28C on Friday July 10. A 2006 EU directive on freshwater quality says cooling water discharged from power plants must not push river temperatures above 28C.
That rule is the practical line EDF has to watch at Golfech. The plant draws cooling water from the River Garonne, so a run of extreme heat can force another shutdown if river temperatures rise again.
Gironde evacuations
Wildfires in south-west France have ravaged 42,000 hectares and spread into parts of the Bordeaux metropolitan area. Authorities in Gironde said this morning that the blaze had not spread overnight, even though it remained uncontained a week after it first broke out.
More than 220,000 people in the Gironde region have been evacuated over the past week, in what France has carried out as its largest peacetime evacuation. More than 2,200 firefighters and over 20 aircraft remained mobilised, while several flare-ups were brought under control overnight.
Arrest cases in France
The fire response has also produced arrests. A man was detained after allegedly posing as a psychologist and offering paid counselling sessions to people affected by the fires. Two men were arrested several days ago on suspicion of stealing food and supplies intended for people affected by the wildfires.
Those cases sit alongside the wider emergency rather than replacing it. Authorities in Gironde said weather conditions remained unfavourable, and the heat already in the forecast could revive flames even after a quiet night.
Whether the Golfech nuclear power plant shuts down again today turns on the same pressure point: if the Garonne climbs too far, EDF has already shown it will stop output rather than run through the limit again.
