French power grid faces first test since Ukraine war as temperatures plunge    

After an unusually mild November helped reduce electricity use in France, temperatures dropped and are set to linger near zero later this week and next.

Temperatures hovering near zero in coming days will test the resilience of France's power network, even as President Emmanuel Macron urged the French not to panic amid warnings of possible blackouts.

French utility EDF saw its electricity output drop to a 30-year low earlier in 2022 due to a record number of nuclear reactor outages arising from corrosion problems, and it is racing against time to ensure its fleet can run at full capacity for the depths of winter.