by Cecile Mantovani and Caroline Pailliez
PARIS (Reuters) – Ski resorts in the French Alps are trying to comply with the government’s energy sobriety plan and save energy, as half of them expect their electricity bills to electricity are three to six times higher than in previous years.
In Chamonix, in case of low attendance, the speed of the ski lifts will be reduced by 10%. If the electricity suppliers warn the station that they cannot meet the demand, the speed of the lifts will be reduced by 30%.
Many resorts, including Chamonix and Val Thorens, have also pledged to limit artificial snow production and reduce heating in buildings, officials said.
In Val Thorens, restaurant employees and maintenance staff will be able to reach their places of work in a slot of around 10 minutes before the slopes open, rather than seeing the ski lifts run almost empty for an hour.
According to Benjamin Blanc, a director of the 3 valleys area, of which Val Thorens is a part, customers will not feel the effect of these measures.
Half of French ski resorts have had to renegotiate their electricity contracts this year, amid record inflation, and they expect their annual bills to be three to six times higher in 2023, said Alexandre Maulin, President of the Domaines skiables de France (DSF).
In the Sybelles area, in Savoie, the energy bill should reach 1.6 million euros next year, against 400,000 euros in 2020, he explained.
The price of the ski lifts should increase by around 5%, but this will not cover all the higher operating costs, added Alexandre Maulin.
Val Thorens managed to sign a contract with EDF before energy prices rose, but the resort must now find a solution for next season.
“We remain mountaineers. Our leitmotif is that we have always gotten through it and that this time again we will get out of it because we will adapt to everything that happens”, said Jérôme Grellet, managing director of SETAM, the company that operates the ski lifts in Val Thorens.
(Written by Caroline Pailliez; French version Camille Raynaud)