VIDEO – Will importing electricity cost us more?

Right now, when you turn on your light or run your radiator, part of the energy comes from German coal or Belgian nuclear power. But why do we have to import? Because we are not producing enough. Currently, fifteen nuclear reactors are shut down or under maintenance out of the 56 in France.

With the Covid, the maintenance of power plants, usually carried out in the summer in the middle of the hollow, had to be carried out in the middle of winter, which is extremely difficult. “As you know, electricity cannot be stored and therefore we must cover consumption in real time with production. To be able to manage this in real time and avoid blackouts, we have to import”, explains Jérémie Haddad, energy expert at EY Consulting.

This electricity is bought at a high price from Germany, Belgium, Switzerland and Italy. This is not new and according to the network manager, no shortage is emerging. What impact does this import have on individuals? “Those who are at the regulated rate, it is the majority today in France, will be limited in increasing the bill to 4%”, answers Jérémie Haddad. “That is the government’s commitment. 4% until August 2022”, he specifies.

The increases are therefore limited for consumers. But what about for businesses? Manufacturers, for their part, do not benefit from a tariff shield. With current prices, they buy their electricity at record prices, nine times more expensive than last year. “If nothing is done in the short term, we really have a risk of losing the competitiveness of French companies on the electrical part and therefore a risk of effectively relocating production”, warns Thérèse Sliva-Marion, in charge of electricity and gas issues for the Cleee association. Several companies have already reduced their industrial activities to cope with this additional cost.