France’s nationwide strike hits power production, fuel deliveries
A nationwide strike in France against pension reform led to a drop in electricity output and stopped deliveries from TotalEnergies sites on Tuesday.
French power supply has been reduced by about 4.5% or 3 gigawatts (GW) as production was lowered at nuclear reactors and thermal plants, data from state-controlled nuclear group EDF showed.
Nuclear capacity was reduced by 1.4 GW between four reactors and 1.6 GW of thermal capacity at three plants was taken offline.
The strike — a backlash against the government’s plans to make people work longer before retirement — also disrupted public transport and schools.
Wage negotiations made workers in the nuclear sector and in power production generally particularly motivated to join the strike, energy union FNME-CGT representative Viriginie Neumayer said.
France was set to be a net importer of electricity from neighbours throughout the day, grid operator RTE data showed.
On the refining side, petroleum product deliveries from TotalEnergies’ sites were blocked, the company said.
There was currently no shortage of fuel at petrol stations, with stocks in depots and service stations at a satisfactory level, the company added.
Between 75 and 100% of workers at TotalEnergies sites joined the strike, reports suggest.
via Reuters
