France: Energy companies call for “immediately” limiting consumption


PARIS, June 26 (Reuters) – Everyone must limit their energy consumption “immediately” in the face of soaring prices which “threatens our social and political cohesion and has a too heavy impact on the purchasing power of families”, believe the leaders of ‘Engie, EDF and TotalEnergies in a column published by the Journal du Dimanche.

Referring to the sharp drop in Russian gas deliveries in the context of the war in Ukraine, as well as the tensions on part of European electricity production capacities, the first three French energy companies consider that “we must, collectively, act on the demand for energy by reducing our consumption to give us back some leeway”.

“We will need it to manage future peaks in consumption and to cushion the technical hazards or geopolitical shocks that we may have to face. Acting this summer will allow us to be better prepared to tackle next winter and in particular to preserve our reserves of gas,” they add.

“We therefore call for collective and individual awareness and action so that each of us – each consumer, each company – changes its behavior and immediately limits its consumption of energy, electricity, gas and petroleum products.”

France aims to fill its gas reserves to 100% by the end of the summer to cope with the tensions expected during next winter and it intends in the longer term to equip itself with a large terminal. floating LNG carrier in Le Havre in order to reduce its dependence on gas from Russia, Elisabeth Borne announced on Thursday.

While Russia, subject to Western sanctions because of the war in Ukraine, limits its gas deliveries to European Union countries, the French government also intends to publish “in the very next few days” a decree extending the ” tariff shield” on energy prices until the end of the year. (Report Benjamin Mallet)





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