A record-breaking heat wave has caused a major power outage affecting approximately 68,000 homes in western France, particularly in the town of Ergué-Gabéric, due to a transformer incident. The outage began on Tuesday evening and is not expected to be fully resolved until at least the end of Wednesday.
French utility EDF reported a nationwide reduction of 4.1 gigawatts in nuclear output as high temperatures hindered access to cooling water. This heat wave has also disrupted daily life across Europe, with France experiencing its hottest day ever, reaching 44.3 degrees Celsius in Pissos.
The extreme temperatures have led to school closures in the U.K. and similar warnings in Spain, Italy, Germany, and Switzerland.
The European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service indicates that Europe is warming at twice the global average since the 1980s, suggesting that such extreme weather events may become more frequent, which could have long-term implications for energy infrastructure and public health