The Minister for the Ecological Transition Barbara Pompili judged that it was normal to ask EDF to help contain the French electricity bill, stressing that the energy company would not sell a loss but would earn less than expected, Wednesday at the microphone of Sud Radio.
Last Thursday, in the midst of soaring energy prices and in a context of high inflation, the government announced that it was going to force EDF to sell more electricity at low prices to its competitors to protect the purchasing power of the French.
EDF will thus sell a price reduced up to 40% of its electricity production in 2022, instead of selling at high market prices, and losing around 8 billion on its gross operating surplus in 2022, according to the group.
We need EDF
I think it’s normal that we ask that EDF, because it’s money from nuclear power plants that are amortized and who paid for the construction of these nuclear power plants? It is the French taxpayers, so it is normal that in a period of crisis, in an exceptional period, that we ask for exceptional EDF aid, highlighted the minister.
They don’t sell loss, they had planned that this price increase would bring them a lot of money, it will bring them less money than they had planned, it is a loss of profit but they are not losing money, underlined Barbara Pompili.
The state has always been at the side of EDF, we need EDF which is our main electrician, she added. Last week, Ms. Pompili affirmed that we would be at EDF’s side to help them overcome this difficulty, reviving speculation on a possible recapitalization.
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call the strike
For their part, the four main trade unions in the energy sector called for an EDF strike on January 26, in order to protest against government measures.
Asked on Wednesday whether or not to renationalise EDF, as proposed by the environmental candidate for the presidential Yannick Jadot, Barbara Pompili replied that she had no religion on these subjects, but EDF nationalized or not, we need more information. ‘energy savings, we need more renewables, and we need to work to solidify our nuclear power, whatever solution is chosen.
Reproduction forbidden.