Energy Supply and Demand Fears Grow Amid European Heatwave
European heatwave power shortages, with surging cooling demand and disrupted generation, are driving electricity prices up Take a quick look at the alternatives and outlook amid constraints on nuclear and gas power generation
The heat wave that began in Western Europe is spreading across Europe, increasing pressure on power supply and demand. In the UK, France, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Germany, and other countries, recordhigh temperatures for June were successively broken, and heat wave warnings were even issued in some areas.
With this heat, demand for cooling has surged, but nuclear power plants and gasfired power plants are reducing output due to cooling issues. In France, EDF lowered nuclear power generation due to rising river temperatures, and in the UK, several major gasfired power plants also adjusted their output. As a result, wholesale electricity prices rose sharply as well.
Experts point out that Europe’s old building structures and lack of air conditioner adoption make it difficult to respond to heat waves. At the same time, energy storage technologies such as batteries and the expansion of offshore wind power are being cited as alternatives to reduce the gap in electricity supply between day and night.