Extreme Heat and Drought in Europe Threaten Electricity Supply
Record temperatures and drought across Europe dealt a blow to production in nuclear, hydroelectric, and thermal power plants, increasing supply constraints in the electricity system.
Extreme heatwaves and drought affecting Europe pushed electricity demand to its peak with increased air conditioning use, while water resource depletion caused production cuts in nuclear, hydroelectric, and thermal power plants, exposing vulnerabilities in the energy system.
Heatwave and Rising Demand
In June and July, temperatures exceeded 40 degrees Celsius in many parts of Europe, significantly raising air conditioning use and, consequently, daily electricity demand.
Due to the high temperatures that began in the last week of June, daily electricity demand increased by 28 percent in Italy, 23 percent in Hungary, 14 percent in France, and 13 percent in Spain.
Capacity Losses in Nuclear Power Plants
The European Commission reported that drought and low river levels created a severe crunch in electricity supply, negatively affecting nuclear power plants particularly in Central and Eastern Europe.
While 43 percent of nuclear capacity in France became unavailable, low water levels in the Danube River reduced the production capacity of nuclear power plants in Romania and Hungary.
Decline in Thermal and Hydroelectric Generation
A decline in five natural gas power plants in the UK took 2.5 gigawatts of capacity offline, while river levels in Italy and Poland also negatively impacted thermal and coal-fired plants.
The European Union's hydroelectric generation fell to its lowest level in the last 10 years, combining with interruptions at thermal plants and tightening supply in markets.
Rise in Electricity Prices
Production cuts and rising demand led to an increase in average daily electricity prices between late June and early July by 119 percent in Hungary and 44 percent in France.
Record Contribution from Solar Energy
Unlike other sources, solar power plants broke records by generating 52 terawatt-hours in June and 55 terawatt-hours in July, meeting 25 percent of total electricity generation.
Experts pointed out that because solar energy's high midday contribution drops rapidly during evening hours, energy storage capacity needs to be increased.