LRising tensions and then the outbreak of war in Ukraine caused a major energy crisis in Europe, reminiscent of the bad days of the oil shocks of the 1970s. In France, this situation was coupled with an unfortunate coincidence of timing, since about half of the nuclear power plant will have been unavailable this year for various maintenance reasons, more or less foreseeable.
Households and businesses in France and Europe therefore find themselves in the grip of a sudden inflation in energy prices and facing a serious risk of shortages at the turn of this winter. If nothing is done, current expectations even raise fears of a new surge in 2023 compared to 2022.
At the worst time
In this tense context, the functioning of the European electricity market was quickly identified as a particularly heavy burden for French businesses and households, forcing them to some extent to share with their neighbors the merits of nuclear power – whose users have supported investment for many years – and above all to take an undeserved share of the toll now represented in Europe by the price of gas, and electricity made from gas.
The temptation was becoming great, in the press as well as in the Assembly, to propose an exit from the European electricity market. However, as a study of The factory of industry to be published in November, the facts do not plead for such a radical decision; rather, they call for an in-depth reform of the European electricity market.
Indeed, half of the soaring energy bills of French industrialists in 2022 will have been due to domestic problems and in particular the unavailability of the nuclear fleet. Let’s be honest: both households and companies would have done well without this particularism, which came at the worst possible time, and which it was no doubt possible to avoid. Without the possibility of importing electricity from our neighbours, the situation would have been even more penalizing.
Especially since the doubling of the energy bill of industrial companies observed in one year – which is considerable – is not linked to the interconnection of European markets. This interconnection is even rather an asset, both a source of resilience in the event of a shortage and a source of exports in the best of times, which it would be ill-advised to call into question.
Sovereignty and solidarity
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