Nuclear-Reliant France Turns To Gas For Peaking Power

摘要

A severe cold snap that sent electricity consumption soaring to a record 91.5 gigawatts in France Jan.7 highlighted an increasingly critical problem for the normally power-exporting country:While baseload needs are more than adequately covered by a fleet of 58 nuclear reactors with a combined generation capacity in excess of 63 GW,a shortage of peak-load capacity is calling into question the country's ability to provide adequate electricity to its 65 million inhabitants in periods of intense demand.On Jan.7,RTE,the electricity transmission system operator,called for all available generating units to start up and for imports from Germany and the UK to ramp up where possible.Even so,consumers in western Brittany and southeastern France were urged to limit electricity use.