Impacts of Climate Change on European Critical Infrastructures: The Case of the Power Sector

The document examines the vulnerability of the European power sector to climate change, focusing on the interdependence between water supply and electricity generation. It argues that rising temperatures and water scarcity can force power plants, particularly nuclear facilities, to reduce production, which in turn disrupts the European electricity exchange system. Using a theoretical model and scenarios based on IPCC projections, the authors demonstrate that countries heavily dependent on electricity imports, such as Italy and the Netherlands, are particularly vulnerable to production constraints in major exporting nations like France.

• Climate change increases the risk of water scarcity and higher river temperatures, which negatively impacts the cooling processes essential for fossil fuel and nuclear power plants.
• The European power sector is highly interdependent; disruptions in one country's generation capacity can cause cascading effects across the transnational grid, affecting multiple EU member states.
• Nuclear power plants are particularly vulnerable to heat waves; in the summer of 2003, over 30 European nuclear units had to lower production due to cooling water discharge limits.
• Under a climate scenario where air temperatures rise by 3°K on average, France's role as a major electricity exporter is compromised, forcing it to reduce exports and potentially import power from Great Britain to meet demands in Italy and other regions.
• Increased water scarcity exacerbates these risks; in a 'more serious water scarcity' scenario, countries like Switzerland also face production limits, leading to a significant overall decrease in electricity exports.
• Adaptation strategies to mitigate these risks include improving upstream water supply management, increasing power plant efficiency, and transitioning to cooling-free technologies like photovoltaics.

APA

Rübbelke, D., & Vögele, S. (2010). Impacts of Climate Change on European Critical Infrastructures: The Case of the Power Sector. Basque Centre for Climate Change. https://www.bc3research.org/h6T8Uy8Nm4gFs0O/201007080400381734889586.pdf

Chicago

Rübbelke, Dirk, and Stefan Vögele. Impacts of Climate Change on European Critical Infrastructures: The Case of the Power Sector. Basque Centre for Climate Change, 2010. https://www.bc3research.org/h6T8Uy8Nm4gFs0O/201007080400381734889586.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Rübbelke |first1=Dirk |last2=Vögele |first2=Stefan |title=Impacts of Climate Change on European Critical Infrastructures: The Case of the Power Sector |publisher=Basque Centre for Climate Change |date=July 2010 |url=https://www.bc3research.org/h6T8Uy8Nm4gFs0O/201007080400381734889586.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rbbelke2010impacts, author = {Rübbelke, Dirk and Vögele, Stefan}, title = {{Impacts of Climate Change on European Critical Infrastructures: The Case of the Power Sector}}, institution = {Basque Centre for Climate Change}, year = {2010}, month = jul, url = {https://www.bc3research.org/h6T8Uy8Nm4gFs0O/201007080400381734889586.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }