France's power-grid operator upgrades modeling for heat waves and droughts

France's power-grid operator: France's power-grid operator, known as RTE or Réseau de Transport d'Électricité, manages the national high-voltage electricity transmission network and ensures the stability and security of the power supply across the country. It recently released a report highlighting how this summer's extreme weather exceeded earlier modeling expectations. The operator is now enhancing its simulations specifically to better account for the growing effects of heat waves and droughts on electricity generation and grid operations. Climate Trends: The probability of intense heat waves is expected to rise considerably in a warming climate, increasing the need for updated energy system planning. Nuclear Vulnerability: Nuclear production in France depends on river water for reactor cooling, leaving facilities exposed to curtailments during periods of high temperatures and low river flows. Climate Modeling Upgrade: France’s power-grid operator is revising its heat wave and drought modeling after this summer's extreme conditions pushed the impacts on the energy system beyond prior simulations.