Universal Registration Document 2021

Water reuse and recycling

The recycling of process and cooling water is implemented throughout the Group, where appropriate.

Design of new nuclear reactors	In order to reduce the impact on freshwater withdrawal, the possibilities of using water from WWTPs and rainwater as a source of complementary water are studied as early as the design stage of new nuclear reactors.
Cordemais and Martigues	EDF’s thermal power plants in Cordemais and Martigues recover rainwater or recycle their effluents.
West Burton	At the West Burton A Nuclear Power Plant (United Kingdom), effluent from the wastewater treatment plant is no longer returned to the river but is sent to the plant’s basins for reuse in the cooling towers. Each year 100,000m³ of water is no longer removed from the Trent River.
Fuzhou	In China, the Ultra-supercritical power plant of Fuzhou reuses all its process water sequentially and depending on the quality of water (from cooling to watering ash to gardens).
Dalkia	In Dalkia’s large biomass combustion facilities, process wastewater is used to cool bottom ash to limit the volume of liquid effluent to be treated.

Desalinating sea water

EDF is carrying out several desalination trials on its sites:

Flamanville 1, 2 and 3	A desalination unit has been in operation since 2016 to produce demineralised water.
Jarry Sud	In Guadeloupe, the power plant in Jarry Sud has a sea water desalination facility, which has made it possible to stop using tap water and save around 50,000m³ of fresh water per year.
Simeri-Crichi	The plant in Simeri Crichi (Italy) is equipped with sea water desalination systems to replace freshwater withdrawals for industrial water needs.

3.2.3.2 Integrated and shared water management

The last nine years rank among the “top 10” hottest years ever recorded on Earth, and 2021 stands in sixth place, thereby increasing the importance of good water management ⁽¹⁾.

3.2.3.2.1 Impact of climatic conditions on electricity generation

In France, several heatwaves without intense temperatures or severe low water levels (except the Garonne) generated historically low production losses on the nuclear fleet (5GWh compared to 3,000GWh in 2020).

3.2.3.2.2 EDF met its commitments to stakeholders thanks to good management

Water stored by EDF in its dams is mainly dedicated to supplying hydraulic power plants. Water resources are also used to cool thermal or nuclear power plants, which return it at a temperature close to the natural environment from which it was withdrawn. But in addition to the EDF group’s industrial activities, water is also shared and redistributed for several uses: drinking water for towns and cities irrigation for farmers; white-water sports facilities.

Resource availability varies according to hydrological conditions (snowfall, rainfall). Shared water management requires collaboration between different stakeholders, particularly local authorities and the six water authorities.

Management of water resources

Water authorities	EDF is represented by the UFE ⁽²⁾ at meetings of each of the river basin water governing authorities ⁽³⁾. In spring 2021, the French Ministries of Agriculture and the Ecological Transition launched a dialogue process ⁽⁴⁾ designed to reconcile adaptation to the consequences of climate change and preservation of a strong agricultural sector. Via the UFE, EDF contributed to this process and highlighted the essential role of hydropower, and EDF in particular, to provide back-up in case of low water levels.
Water coordination	Since 2003, EDF has had an internal water coordination body, chaired by the Group Senior Executive Vice-President, Renewable Energies. The operational management of water is ensured at the national level by the Water Management Group (GGE) responsible for ensuring the regular, weekly or daily monitoring, if necessary, of water stocks in order to coordinate various production constraints and the management of the multiple uses of water. In 2021, 458hm^³ were removed from storage, to meet the various needs of water-users in the context of the specifications of hydropower concessions or agreements to share water. The River Rhône required back-up in the autumn, due to low natural flow rate and the low level of Lake Geneva, and this led to the use of 83hm³ of water from Arves and 51hm³ from the Vouglans reservoir.

Water authorities

EDF is represented by the UFE ⁽²⁾ at meetings of each of the river basin water governing authorities ⁽³⁾.

In spring 2021, the French Ministries of Agriculture and the Ecological Transition launched a dialogue process ⁽⁴⁾ designed to reconcile adaptation to the consequences of climate change and preservation of a strong agricultural sector. Via the UFE, EDF contributed to this process and highlighted the essential role of hydropower, and EDF in particular, to provide back-up in case of low water levels.

Water coordination

Since 2003, EDF has had an internal water coordination body, chaired by the Group Senior Executive Vice-President, Renewable Energies. The operational management of water is ensured at the national level by the Water Management Group (GGE) responsible for ensuring the regular, weekly or daily monitoring, if necessary, of water stocks in order to coordinate various production constraints and the management of the multiple uses of water. In 2021, 458hm^³ were removed from storage, to meet the various needs of water-users in the context of the specifications of hydropower concessions or agreements to share water. The River Rhône required back-up in the autumn, due to low natural flow rate and the low level of Lake Geneva, and this led to the use of 83hm³ of water from Arves and 51hm³ from the Vouglans reservoir.

(1) noaa.gov/news/2021-was-worlds-6th-warmest-year-on-record

(2) Union française de l’électricité (i.e. French electricity union).

(3) lesagencesdeleau.fr/

(4) “Varennes agricole de l’eau et de l’adaptation au changement climatique”, i.e. French national agricultural forum on water and adapting to climate change.