Want the lowdown on European markets? In your inbox before the open, every day. Sign up here . France is considering a plan to allow electricity producers to burn more coal after the nation’s grid operator warned of possible power shortages. The government may raise the annual cap on running coal-fired power stations, plugging a potential gap in supply as an unusually high number of nuclear reactors halt for maintenance just as the coldest months get under way. The country’s three remaining coal units may be permitted to operate for about 1,000 hours over the first two months of 2022, according to a draft decree on the Ecology Ministry’s website. That’s 300 hours more than the annual cap that was set in 2019 to help curb carbon emissions. “This measure is necessary to ensure security of electricity supply,” the ministry said. “It raises electricity production margins only for the […]