The Belleville-sur-Loire nuclear power plant has been completely shut down after a technical issue. Reactor number 1 had been offline since early August for routine maintenance. Reactor number 2 unexpectedly stopped on August 26 at 10:48 AM due to an issue on the non-nuclear part of the facility. The operator, EDF, is still investigating the cause and has not yet announced when the reactors might restart. This shutdown follows a challenging summer for the power plant, which supplies 75% of the electricity in the Centre-Val de Loire region. The plant's two reactors, each producing 1,300 megawatts of power, depend on the Loire River for cooling. Although the plant has cooling towers that reduce the amount of heat released into the river, it still draws large amounts of water from the river. Some of this water evaporates, while the rest is returned to the river at a slightly higher temperature than it was when it was taken. At the end of June, the Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection Authority conducted an unexpected inspection at the plant to check the temperatures, heat exchangers, and cooling systems. The Local Information Commission noted that low water flow and high temperatures in the Loire River can affect the plant’s operations. While the August 26 incident was not caused by a heatwave, it adds to a series of challenges the plant has faced, including maintenance issues, drought conditions, technical problems, and even jellyfish infestations. These difficulties are expected to continue and possibly worsen due to climate change, which is likely to increase the frequency and intensity of such challenges. The shutdown at Belleville-sur-Loire highlights the growing complexities of maintaining nuclear power plants in an era of changing environmental conditions.