France suffers major power outage as Europe sizzles in record-breaking heat

A tourist protects herself from the sun under an umbrella in front of the Louvre Pyramid, designed by Chinese-US architect Ieoh Ming Pei in Paris on June 23, 2026, as France experiences a heatwave. Dimitar Dilkoff | Afp | Getty Images A record-breaking European heat wave has caused a major power outage in France, as several countries issue red alerts across large swaths of their territory. A heat-related incident left around 68,000 homes without electricity in western France, according to the prefecture in the coastal department of Finistere. The outage, which started on Tuesday evening and was related to a transformer in the town of Ergué-Gabéric, was not expected to be fully restored until the end of Wednesday at the earliest. "Priority is being given to restoring power to healthcare facilities and critical sites. Nursing homes where power has not yet been restored to the grid will be provided with generators," the operator said in a statement. Data from French utility EDF, meanwhile, showed that the country's nuclear output nationwide was reduced by 4.1 gigawatts on Wednesday as high temperatures reduced access to cooling water, according to Reuters. CNBC has contacted EDF and is awaiting a response. It comes as a fresh bout of record-breaking heat disrupts school and transportation schedules in countries across the region. An empty street in Toulouse, France, on June 22, 2026. France experiences its second heatwave of the year. …