A city plunged into darkness, communications cut off, hospitals inaccessible.
Behind the announcement of potential power cuts this winter hides a lot of fantasies, which government spokesperson Olivier Véran, guest of BFMTV tried to clear up on Thursday.
First question, central: will there be power cuts this winter or not?
The government will send a circular to the prefects to anticipate and prepare their departments for any scheduled power cuts.
“We are not announcing power cuts.
We even announced the opposite for the month of December.
But in the situation where we have a particularly cold and energy-intensive winter, (...) there could be situations of tension and as a blackout is excluded, we are preparing the French for all scenarios, ”reassured Olivier Veran.
Sensitive sites excluded
If however the temperatures dropped, and tensions appeared, the French would be warned the day before, at 3 p.m. and 5 p.m.
“The idea is not to say:
there will be no more juice
, but
you have to make an effort
”, assures the spokesperson.
Red, orange, green: the government will base itself on Ecowatt's "weather forecast" and will broadcast its alerts via the mobile application or via television spots.
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Sensitive sites will be excluded from any cuts.
For example, fire stations, police stations, police stations, hospitals.
In addition, "many people will never be cut off because, by chance, they are on a power line that supplies a protected site such as a hospital".
This is particularly the case for Parisians, whose city is home to many protected sites.
A few industrial sites have also been placed on the lists of priority customers, as have classified facilities with generators which now have one month to test their operation.
What about communications?
“The 112, emergency number, will be functional, promises Olivier Véran.
As soon as there is an antenna which transmits, you can transmit the calls”.
Schools should not be spared in offloaded areas, with the disadvantage that they do not open in the morning to avoid being without light, heating or alarm.