Another great letter, thanks I really enjoy reading them.
In terms of French nuclear, a quick look reveals that France operates their fleet at 70% capacity factor which compares to a global average of about 80%. A big difference is about 90% of France's installed capacity is nuclear, which means it must be used for load following. Nukes in other countries are operated baseload with no load-following and could explain the difference. Also it appears that the output from the French nukes has been quite stable over the past 20 years (as a percent of total generation).
Might be wrong but the data doesn't support the narrative that France is restricting output on purpose. I spent 10 minutes looking up data so very likely that I am wrong BTW.
This article describes the challenges of load-following with a nuclear plant and some of the things France has had to do to solve the problem
Another great letter, thanks I really enjoy reading them.
In terms of French nuclear, a quick look reveals that France operates their fleet at 70% capacity factor which compares to a global average of about 80%. A big difference is about 90% of France's installed capacity is nuclear, which means it must be used for load following. Nukes in other countries are operated baseload with no load-following and could explain the difference. Also it appears that the output from the French nukes has been quite stable over the past 20 years (as a percent of total generation).
Might be wrong but the data doesn't support the narrative that France is restricting output on purpose. I spent 10 minutes looking up data so very likely that I am wrong BTW.
This article describes the challenges of load-following with a nuclear plant and some of the things France has had to do to solve the problem
https://www.world-nuclear.org/information-library/country-profiles/countries-a-f/france.aspx#:~:text=France's%20nuclear%20reactors%20comprise%2090,standards%2C%20at%20about%2070%25.