A series of strikes at French nuclear plants owned by power giant EDF have caused fluctuating electricity supplies, prompting concerns as the country prepares for a prolonged cold snap.

Workers are reportedly protesting wage negotiations and a possible plan by the French government to restructure EDF. The energy branch of French trade union CGT on November 12 scheduled  strikes at the state-owned utility on November 13 and November 29, Reuters reported.

Their impact has so far been tremendous. On November 13, strikes slashed power output by about 6 GW, Reuters reported. On November 20, strikes that began on Monday at the Penly 2 reactor reduced output by 900 MW, while other strikes at the 900-MW Cruas 4 slashed that plant’s output by 735 MW. The action was due to end at 2 p.m. local time.

French grid operator RTE on Tuesday also reported that a strike prompted reduction of hydropower generation by 370 MW. S&P Global Platts reported that strikes and outages in total reduced generation capacity by a total 2.2 GW on November 20.…

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