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16% of France’s Power Supply Blocked Amid Protest – as Nuclear Reactor Maintenance Disrupted



Maintenance at nine French nuclear reactors was disrupted due to the strike against the government’s planned pension reforms.

About 8.2 gigawatts of the country’s power supply at thermal, hydro and nuclear plants was also blocked, a spokesperson for the CGT union said.

This equated to around 16% of the country’s total power production, according to data from grid operator RTE.

Two employees walk past a G2 reactor at the French nuclear Marcoule site in southeastern France
Image:File pic. G2 reactor in southeastern France

However, imports from neighbouring countries totalled less than a gigawatt, suggesting supply was adequate to meet demand.

The reactors were all operated by EDF.

On Thursday, around 100 protesters blocked a road leading to terminal one of the Charles de Gaulle airport, and entered the terminal building on the 11th day of national strikes.

A gendarmerie vehicle burns during a demonstration called by the collective "Bassines Non Merci" against the "basins" on the construction site of new water storage infrastructure for agricultural irrigation in western France, in Sainte-Soline, France March 25, 2023. REUTERS/Yves Herman

French police fire tear gas at protestersFrench police fire tear gas at protesters

Thousands of people once again gathered in cities to demonstrate against President Emmanuel Macron’s controversial pension reforms, which would change France‘s retirement age from 62 to 64.

In Paris, protesters set fire to one of Mr Macron’s favourite restaurants, La Rotonde brasserie, while rat catchers threw dead rodents at city hall « to show the hard reality of their mission », a leader of the CGT trade union said at the time.

Source : SkyNews

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