The operator of the electricity network RTE is planning a winter under "
particular vigilance
" in terms of supply security, confirming its spring forecasts, while the health crisis continues to affect the maintenance schedule of the nuclear fleet, he said. indicated Monday.
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RTE is initially counting, until the end of the year, on a "
risk of relatively low voltage
", but advocates more caution for January and February, the period most exposed to cold snaps, explains the group. in an analytical note. However, a new monthly diagnostic system for security of supply will refine these forecasts and RTE is already announcing two updates which
will
“
make reference
”, for the first two months of 2022.
They are expected "at the
end of December or the beginning of January
" then "at the
end of January
", specified Thomas Veyrenc, strategy and prospective director of RTE, during a press conference. "
The further away we move towards January-February, the more we begin to have uncertainty about a certain number of parameters which are now very important: temperature, wind but also the availability of our production fleet, and in particular of the nuclear park
”, he justified.
This will allow RTE to better understand the supply / demand balance, with a more precise schedule for reactor outages linked to maintenance, and with more reliable weather forecasts for temperature and wind conditions, while the renewable energies grow in the energy balance.
The Covid-19 pandemic has shaken up the maintenance schedule for nuclear reactors in spring 2020, and the repercussions will be felt "at
a minimum
" until next spring, estimates RTE.
The question is particularly sensitive for France, whose electricity production is 70% nuclear.
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"
In 2021, we have a nuclear fleet maintenance program which is still quite busy,
" said Thomas Veyrenc.
At the start of next year, "
we must expect a lower availability of nuclear power than the historical average
", he continued, specifying, however, that these elements had been anticipated by RTE.
Electricity consumption in France recovered to almost return to pre-crisis levels, remaining slightly lower compared to the same time in 2019.