France doesn’t expect to see shortages of electricity or power blackouts even though nuclear power output in the country will be lower this year due to disruptions to nuclear reactors maintenance amid the COVID-19 pandemic. France is one of the worst affected European countries in the pandemic and is gradually emerging from one of the strictest lockdowns aimed at preventing the spread of the coronavirus. Electricity consumption has dropped because of reduced industrial activity, while the pandemic and measures to contain it has disrupted the maintenance schedule of French utility giant EDF, which operates nearly 60 reactors in France. As of Thursday, nuclear power accounted for more than 60 percent of France’s real-time power generation mix, according to grid operator RTE . The head of RTE, Francois Brottes, said at a news conference on Thursday that despite the changes in electricity consumption trends during the health crisis, the grid […]