Energy warning issued for EU states

The French and Irish electricity systems are the most vulnerable to winter blackouts, the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity (ENTSO-E) has warned.

According to its winter outlook, published on Thursday, the region’s network will face the most stress in January and February, but France and Ireland could be hit with those issues as early as November or December.

“The situation this winter is critical but manageable with operational measures,” the report said, noting that the loss of nuclear capacity, mainly in France, but also in Sweden and Finland, is adding stress to the system.

EirGrid, which manages the flow of electricity around Ireland, also said in its outlook that individual customers could face an average of four hours without power over the winter. Meanwhile, individual customers in France face up to 26 hours without electricity during the winter due to low nuclear generation, according to the ENTSO-E.

The grid group also warned that Norway and Sweden also face a risk of outages if the winter is particularly dry, because both nations rely to a large extent on hydro power.

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