The threat of power cuts is receding, for at least a few weeks. The president of the Energy Regulation Commission (CRE), Emmanuelle Wargon, does not anticipate any risk of load shedding (temporary cuts organized in the event of a shortage) before mid-January. The former Minister of Housing explained, Wednesday, December 28, this reprieve by the call for sobriety “really heard by the French”with a 9% drop in total consumption over the last four months in France.
“Until January 15, we know that we will have no difficulty” to meet the electricity needs of the population and businesses, thanks to the forecast temperatures, everyone’s sobriety efforts and the gradual restart of EDF’s nuclear reactors, developed Mme Wargon, asked about France Inter. “Afterwards, if there is a cold snap, the situation will inevitably be more tense”she nevertheless warned, welcoming the “citizen gesture” French people who spontaneously reduced their consumption at the end of the year when temperatures were above seasonal averages.
Drop in consumption of 7.4% over the last week
On Tuesday, the RTE network manager reported a 7.4% decline recorded last week compared to the average for previous years (2014-2019). An evaluation disseminated after processing the calendar and meteorological effects: it is therefore the consumption that would have taken place with normal temperatures for the period. A method thus isolating structural variations in demand, economic activity and sobriety efforts.
Over the past four weeks, the average structural decline has reached 8.7%. RTE explains the slowdown in the fall (7.4% the last week against 8.1% the previous one) by a reduction in the potential for additional energy savings for individuals and companies in the tertiary sector.
As early as this summer, the government had called on individuals, businesses and administrations to reduce their energy consumption as much as possible to avoid any risk of load shedding or power cuts this winter. Alerts, materialized by a sobriety plan in October, against a backdrop of supply difficulties aggravated by the war in Ukraine.
20% reduction in public lighting
The manager of the high and very high voltage lines had lowered, on December 20, the risk of tensions for the electricity network in January by” raised “ to ” average “given the efforts observed and the restart of several nuclear reactors.
Among the overall electricity consumption, that related to public lighting recorded a decrease “historical” 20% during the first half of December, between midnight and 4 a.m., the electricity distribution network manager Enedis reported on Tuesday. This decrease was recorded in “heart of night”compared to the same period in 2021, specifies the ex-ERDF, which underlines “a significant drop, the largest on record” by his services.
According to Enedis, public lighting is responsible for more than 40% of the annual electricity consumption of French municipalities, “with 11 million light points across the country, i.e. a power demand of 1,300 megawatts”. At the end of November, the government announced that it would send a circular to the prefects to anticipate and prepare their departments for any scheduled power cuts, which could affect 60% of the population, but no critical site or priority customer.