The government has asked EDF, and more broadly other energy companies, to take measures to unleash dams and wind farms in order to facilitate the country's electricity supply this winter, after the announcement of the prolonged unavailability of certain nuclear reactors.
In a letter to the CEO of EDF dated Friday, the Minister for Energy Transition Agnès Pannier-Runacher asks him "
to do everything possible to create new room for maneuver for the passage of winter
", which "
passes , in particular, by maximizing the company's renewable production
”.
This means increasing “
in advance the power of hydroelectric concessions
”.
It is also "
the maximization of renewable production of wind origin, which requires for EDF a site-by-site expertise of the possibilities of unclamping, in connection with the decentralized services of the State, which have the instruction to instruct the possible priority requests
,” adds the letter addressed to Jean-Bernard Lévy.
For contractual reasons, wind turbines do not always run at maximum capacity.
The request, which concerns all operators in addition to EDF, therefore aims to put the terms of the contract on hold and unleash the devices so that they produce as much electricity as possible.
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This effort “
finally goes through the acceleration of the renewable projects under construction carried by EDF
”, adds the minister, inviting him to “
report all the possible difficulties in these projects
”.
EDF announced Thursday a new postponement of the date of reconnection of several reactors, and revised downwards its estimate of nuclear production for 2022, in a context of already tense electricity and gas supplies.
On the renewable front, the government is counting on the entry into full service of the very first offshore wind farm in France, opposite Saint-Nazaire.
In addition, "
the work relating to the reliability of our electricity import capacity, in particular from Germany,
“Adds Agnès Pannier-Runacher in her letter.
