The figure was expected. After having unpublished without explanation at the beginning of March an official document concerning water consumption in France, the Ministry of Ecological Transition announced, on Wednesday March 29, on the eve of the presentation of the long-awaited “water plan” by Emmanuel Macron, revised statistics. In full examination of the nuclear acceleration bill, adopted at first reading on March 21, and while part of the country is still in a situation of winter drought, the question of the share of nuclear power in the total consumption of water had given rise to lively debates.
According to data updated by the Ministry’s statistics service, cooling the nuclear fleet is therefore the third most water-consuming activity (12%) after agriculture (58%) and drinking water (26%). ) – other industrial uses represent the remaining 4%. Previous figures put power plant cooling as the second highest consumption, with a much higher share of 31%. “In recent weeks, we have worked more finely with energy companies to specify the withdrawals and consumption of the nuclear fleet”was limited to explaining the ministry by revealing these figures.
Lower total water consumption
The fifty-six reactors, located by the sea or along rivers, have significant water needs to ensure their cooling. But if they take considerable volumes, more than 98% of the water is directly returned to the environment, and is therefore not consumed. There are actually two types of cooling systems.
In “open circuit”, the cold water is pumped, cools the secondary circuit through the condenser, then is completely discharged at a higher temperature of 2°C or 3°C. This is how twenty-six reactors operate, with almost zero consumption.
In a “closed circuit”, the quantity of water pumped is lower, but it then circulates in an air-cooling tower: part (about 40%) evaporates and is not returned to the environment and the rest goes back into the river. , at a temperature higher by a few tenths of a degree. In total, according to EDF, there are thus a little more than 400 million cubic meters which were consumed in 2021 by the thirteen sites located on the banks of the river.
The new figures also revise downwards total water consumption in France, previously estimated at 5.3 billion cubic meters per year, over the period between 2008 and 2018. It now stands at 4.1 billion. cubic meters per year, “a little more than three times the capacity of the Serre-Ponçon lake”. The president must announce the major measures of the “water plan” in the town of Savines-le-Lac (Hautes-Alpes), specifies the Elysée. A plan that includes “the mobilization of all sectors”including energy.