The French have put on sweaters and lowered the thermostat in their homes since the start of winter.
Electricity consumption, corrected for the weather, was 7 to 8% lower in November and December than the average over these two months between 2014 and 2019, electricity network manager RTE said on Monday.
A decline “in the trend observed since autumn 2022” which “results both from continued energy savings, the effects of the economic context marked by inflation and high energy prices”, estimates RTE .
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During the cold episode which affected France during the 2nd week of January, consumption reached between 83 gigawatts (GW) and 84 GW at maximum, "while the same weather conditions would probably have led to a peak around of 90 GW” in the pre-crisis context.
This lower demand reassures the manager, who has classified the risk in terms of security of electricity supply for the rest of the winter as “low”.
Price increase
The nuclear fleet is as available as expected, with 47 reactors out of 56 operating as of January 9.
A level at the highest since winter 2022 and the start of the “stress corrosion crisis” triggered at the end of 2021, which shut down many reactors.
Other methods of electricity production are also in good shape.
Stocks are at levels “higher than historical averages” for hydraulics, “abundant” wind production and “controlled gas supply”.
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So many elements which have enabled France to return to a “strongly exporting” situation in recent months, despite a “damage to an interconnection with Great Britain”.
After an increase in electricity prices of more than 40% in two years, the Minister of the Economy Bruno Le Maire indicated on Sunday that the base rate would increase by 8.6% on February 1 and peak hour rates and on- and off-peak hours by 9.8%.
A rise in prices in line with the government's commitment to exit the costly "tariff shield", which had made it possible to contain the high electricity inflation recorded over the last two years in Europe.