Europe’s summer heatwave has had a significant impact on power plants, with nuclear and coal plants either reducing their output or closing down temporarily. This is not the first time this has happened: heatwaves forced nuclear shutdowns or curtailments across Europe in 2003, 2006, and 2015.

WindEurope CEO Giles Dickson says: “This should be a wake-up call for policy-makers. Global surface temperatures in June 2018 averaged 0.78C