PARIS (Reuters) – Emmanuel Macron has called on the French not to give in to “panic” over possible power cuts this winter, stressing that the government is working on an “extreme scenario” which it is, according to him, quite possible to avoid.
In an interview with the TF1 and LCI television channels, recorded during his state visit to the United States, the French president refused to attribute the risk of load shedding in the event of very cold temperatures in the coming months to poor control the restart schedule for nuclear reactors shut down for maintenance work presented by EDF.
“No”, replied Emmanuel Macron to the question of whether the delays in certain projects by the group in the process of being renationalized constituted a “failure”.
“First, I want to try to clear things up: don’t panic!” he continued. “There is work that is being done, which is legitimate, by the government to prepare for an extreme case, which indeed the need to cut electricity for a few hours during the day if we were to run out of it.”
“It is normal for the government to prepare an extreme case because the last few years have shown us that sometimes the unthinkable happens… and therefore it is the responsibility of the government, in conjunction with all the competent actors, to prepare these scenarios to allow the country not to be in complete disorder.”
If RTE, the manager of French high-voltage lines, pointed last month to an “increased risk” of power cuts in January, Emmanuel Macron assured that this scenario which he described as “fictitious” has nothing not inevitable.
“If all together, we stick to the sobriety plan that was presented by the government (…), that is to say to reduce by around 10% compared to our usual consumption, (…) if we everyone is a little careful and if next to that EDF continues the work, then yes we can pass, even with cold December and January, this period”, he insisted on TF1.
(Tangi Salaun)
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