Solve Global Warming to Save Nuclear Power?

This little tidbit from the Globe and Mail of Canada.

Will France Be Caught with its Plants Down?
If Another Heat Wave Hits Europe This Summer, Many Say Country's Beloved Nuclear-Power System Won't Be Able to Cope

"'People say that nuclear power is going to solve global warming, but I think we're going to have to solve global warming if we're going to have a future for nuclear power,' said David Lochbaum, director for nuclear safety at the U.S.-based Union of Concerned Scientists.

Nuclear power plants rely on large amounts of cool water to operate at a safe temperature. That water is then pumped out at a higher temperature, warming the body of water from which it came. That doesn't usually cause any problems if the plant is located next to an ocean or sea.

But if, the same as three-quarters of French nuclear generators and many others around the world, the plant is next to a lake or river, the supply of cool water can dry up during a hot spell and the operator faces some hard choices. It can reduce output or shut down the plant, or it can pump extra hot water into an already warm lake or river, and risk raising the water temperature so much that it causes massive environmental damage."

Solve Global Warming to Save Nuclear Power?

This little tidbit from the Globe and Mail of Canada.

Will France Be Caught with its Plants Down?
If Another Heat Wave Hits Europe This Summer, Many Say Country's Beloved Nuclear-Power System Won't Be Able to Cope

"'People say that nuclear power is going to solve global warming, but I think we're going to have to solve global warming if we're going to have a future for nuclear power,' said David Lochbaum, director for nuclear safety at the U.S.-based Union of Concerned Scientists.

Nuclear power plants rely on large amounts of cool water to operate at a safe temperature. That water is then pumped out at a higher temperature, warming the body of water from which it came. That doesn't usually cause any problems if the plant is located next to an ocean or sea.

But if, the same as three-quarters of French nuclear generators and many others around the world, the plant is next to a lake or river, the supply of cool water can dry up during a hot spell and the operator faces some hard choices. It can reduce output or shut down the plant, or it can pump extra hot water into an already warm lake or river, and risk raising the water temperature so much that it causes massive environmental damage."