The government has asked the SNCF to save energy, but not to prepare to run fewer trains this winter in the event of a power shortage, as
Le Parisien
affirms , the ministry for Transport.
The daily said that the public company is working, at the request of the executive, on a degraded transport plan this winter in the event of severe electricity shortages, “
a black scenario which would only be used as a last resort
”.
"
The Ministry of Transport has not requested a measure of this nature from the SNCF
," the ministry told AFP.
The Ministers of Transport, Clément Beaune, and Energy Transition, Agnès Pannier-Runacher, at the end of July asked all transport operators to work on a sobriety plan, as in many other sectors, “
to contribute to the reduction energy consumption by 10%
”.
And these must return their copy Tuesday morning, recalled a spokesperson.
Read alsoEnergy: Clément Beaune asks transport operators to take measures
“Waste Hunt”
In addition, operators such as the SNCF provide "
emergency and contingency plans in the event of a serious problem
" such as a heat wave or energy supply problems, which can lead to "
last resort measures
" .
“
But this is separate from sobriety measures and does not respond to a specific government order
,” insisted the spokeswoman for the Ministry of Transport.
By advocating sobriety, the government encourages “
the hunt for waste
”.
“
It is not asking companies or public services to reduce or cease their activity
,” she explained.
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“
Like all companies, we are working in September at the request of the government on an energy sobriety plan
”, for his part indicated a spokesperson for SNCF Voyageurs.
“
We are working through all scenarios as part of this sobriety plan.
None are privileged and none are decided
,” he said.
“
We will adapt to government requests as we have always done during the Covid period
”.
The SNCF, a major consumer of electricity, has intensified its actions for several months to reduce its energy consumption, for example by emphasizing “
eco-driving
”, a more flexible technique for driving trains.
This makes it possible to reduce energy consumption by up to 10% “
without reducing (the) speed and therefore without penalizing travelers
”, noted the spokesperson.