Drought: weakened hydroelectric dams

It is yet another weak link in the French energy mix. After some nuclear power plants were hit by a serial defect, hydroelectric dams are beginning to suffer from the exceptional drought that is raging in France. The dams of EDF (which manages a large part of French capacities) were only 64% full on August 4. This is 15 points lower than the historical average.

“The situation is alarmingwarns Olivier Laveau, CGT president of the production commission of EDF’s central social and economic committee. Stocks are running out briskly across the country. The main alert is the Serre-Ponçon lake, the largest water reserve in France: it is not only used to produce electricity, but also to draw drinking water, to supply irrigation, and basic tourism.” The Southern Alps are experiencing the most worrying situation, with an occupancy rate of almost 30 points below the historical average…