Europe 1 with AFP 7:37 p.m., January 18, 2023

This Wednesday, the first mobilizations against the pension reform began.

EDF agents carried out the first cuts in electricity production, causing the network to lose the equivalent of a nuclear reactor, without causing power cuts.

Beginning of mobilization.

EDF agents proceeded this Wednesday, in the dams, to the first reductions in electricity production in connection with the movement against the pension reform, causing the loss on the network of the equivalent of a nuclear reactor, without causing power cuts, we learned from concordant sources.

“At this time there are already production cuts in hydraulics,” Fabrice Coudour, federal secretary of the FNME-CGT, told AFP, indicating that “it puts the network under tension but it is without impact for the user", which was confirmed by the manager of the high voltage lines RTE.

EDF confirmed this drop in production in an information message on its site: "Loss of power available in progress on the EDF hydraulic park: 1,210 MW. This unavailability is linked to the social movement in progress".

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French nuclear reactors produce between 900 and 1,450 MW of electricity.

The dams of Cheylas (Isère), Pied-de-Borne (Lozère) or Salelles (Ardèche) were particularly affected by these drops in production, according to Fabrice Coudour.

If there is a risk of outages, RTE may have to ask the operators to stop production cuts, as it has been able to do in the past.

"There, we don't do it, because we can compensate with our means of production, so there is no impact on the security of electricity supply", confirms RTE.