Given the tension in Ukraine, the government wants to be able to count on the site to secure its supply.
The coal-fired power plant in Saint-Avold (Moselle) should restart well next winter “as a precaution, given the Ukrainian situationand tensions in the energy market, the Ministry of Energy Transition confirmed on Sunday. “We keep the possibility of being able to operate the Saint-Avold plant for a few more hours if we need it next winter.“said the ministry, confirming information from RTL.
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The decision is not a total surprise: the government had not ruled out, when the plant was closed on March 31, restarting it from time to time to secure the country’s electricity supply given the conflict in Ukraine and setbacks encountered by EDF’s nuclear fleet. This rebootis part of the closure plan“, repeated the ministry which specifies that the commitment of Emmanuel Macron to close all the coal-fired power stations in France “remains unchanged“. “We would remain, in any case, below 1% of electricity produced by coal“, assures the ministry, “and no Russian coal would be used“.
A neutral restart for the environment
Consequently, “a decree will be put out for consultation to organize this possibility of operation next winter“. It will include “environmental compensation“because this restart must be neutral for the environment, the operator committing to “reforestation projects for example“, according to the ministry. The government also plans to integrate “legislative adjustments“this summer in the purchasing power bill so that the social plan concerning the power plant is not canceled,”which shows the government’s resolve to permanently close this coal-fired power plant“.
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When it closed, 87 employees were still working in the Emile Huchet plant. Half have since retired. To run the plant, around 70 people are needed, according to its director Philippe Lenglart, who told AFP in March that he intended to recall former employees rather than recruit if necessary this winter. There is only one other coal-fired power plant still open in France, in Cordemais, in Loire-Atlantique. Emmanuel Macron had promised to close these last coal-fired power stations by 2022, which can easily be mobilized to produce electricity when needed, but also emit a lot of CO2.
SEE ALSO – The Emile Huchet coal-fired power plant closes its doors… before perhaps having to reopen them