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Electricity: "There will be no general blackout by the end of winter", promises Barbara Pompili

2021-12-19T16:11:40.372Z


Several nuclear reactors, shut down for maintenance, have raised fears of electricity shortages with the onset of the winter cold.


What if France lacked electricity to spend the winter?

This is the fear of some observers who evoke possible shortages in early 2022 in the event of a cold snap.

Because at present, 16 nuclear reactors out of 56 are closed for maintenance or incident.

Result: France will have to import electricity produced from German coal or Russian gas.

"I would like to reassure everyone, there will be no general blackout by the end of winter," assured Barbara Pompili, Minister of Ecological Transition, this Sunday in the Political issues broadcast on France Inter, franceinfo and Le Monde.

"We can say so because there are a number of provisions that prevent this", she explained, while the shutdown of several nuclear reactors raises fears of supply difficulties after the holidays.

Read also Price of electricity and gas: 2021, a record year of price increases

"Today we have indeed too many nuclear reactors which are stopped"

,

admitted Barbara Pompili.

The minister justified these shutdowns, for some, by the disruption of maintenance agendas linked to the health crisis.

And for four of them, by "a fault in sensitive areas for safety" which was found, "which was not expected".

Barbara Pompili said to have asked Jean-Bernard Levy, CEO of EDF, to "restart" reactors shut down for maintenance and which were to restart in mid-January.

"I asked that EDF employees work so that we can finally open the reactors earlier and face any shortages," she said, thanking in passing these employees who are preparing to "Work during the holidays".

Cut the electricity of certain businesses

Among the other “provisions”

,

the government can have recourse to “demand response contracts” with companies.

This procedure allows the state to ask certain companies to cut their electricity.

"On the days when we will need to have electricity for everyone, these companies will cut their electricity for periods provided for by the contracts, they are paid for that and this allows to have wider margins", a indicated the Minister of Ecological Transition.

Finally, if the harshness of winter leads to a notable overconsumption of electricity, "it is also possible to lower the voltage a little", added Barbara Pompili, while refined forecasts, taking into account the weather forecast, must be made. by RTE, the electricity network, on December 30th.

Source: leparis

All business articles on 2021-12-19

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