Saint-Alban, on the Rhone, is one of the French nuclear stations on EDF's river-cooling watch list during the August 2026 heatwave. EDF's fleet-wide curtailment reached 7.6 GW, 12 per cent of French nuclear capacity, on 3 August 2026, the steepest cut of the heatwave, with EDF forecasting an easing to 4.3 GW on 4 August and 3 GW thereafter. No reactor-level breakdown confirming Saint-Alban itself was curtailed has been obtained. EDF has faced the same cooling-water constraint on other river-cooled reactors earlier this summer.

Common Questions

Reference

Where is Saint-Alban nuclear power station located?

Saint-Alban sits on the Rhone in south-east France, one of EDF's river-cooled nuclear stations.Source: EDF

When did EDF's nuclear curtailment peak in the 2026 heatwave?

EDF's river-cooling curtailment peaked at 7.6 GW on 3 August 2026 before an expected step-down to 4.3 GW on 4 August.Source: Montel/EDF

Why is Saint-Alban on EDF's heatwave watch list in August 2026?

EDF curtailed 7.6 GW of river-cooled nuclear output fleet-wide on 3 August 2026 during a heatwave, and Saint-Alban is one of the stations subject to cooling-water limits.Source: Montel/EDF

How the World Sees Them

European Commission

Even if peace comes tomorrow, we will not go back to normal in the foreseeable future.

Written with AI from Lowdown's published reporting. Not individually reviewed by an editor. Updated 3 August 2026. Editorial standards.