New year, same efforts.
While the month of January is likely to be marked by energy tensions, players seem to be maintaining - even increasing - their efforts to reduce their consumption, underline the latest figures published this week.
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The electricity network operator, RTE, thus noted a marked drop in electricity consumption, down 8.9% last week compared to the average for the same period between 2014 and 2019. Over one month, the drop reached 8.3% compared to the pre-crisis years.
“
The bearish effect is generally maintained during this first week of January
,” confirms the company.
These data are comparable to those published a week earlier: the drop then amounted, for the two indicators, to 8.5%.
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The evolution is “
restated for meteorological and calendar effects
”, recalls RTE.
In addition, efforts are noted in all areas, including, first and foremost, industry.
Households are not left out: “
Over the last four weeks, aggregate consumption in the residential and tertiary sectors (after correcting for weather effects) was thus around 6% lower than the level for 2021-2022
”, points out the network manager's report.
Marked drop in gas consumption
Similarly, gas consumption collapsed by 16.3% - 12%, once the climate effect is taken into account - between August 1, 2022 and January 8, 2023 compared to the same period 2018-2019 , said GRTgaz this week.
A significant fall, which has accelerated compared to the last assessment.
Once corrected for the climate, the data show a drop in demand from households - 13% -, industrialists - 23.5% -, details the company.
Conversely, the use of gas-fired power plants has caused demand to soar by 30% in this sector, offsetting the decline on the side of manufacturers and households.
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Follow the evolution of the energy situation in France on a daily basis
For now, France is on track to get through the winter without supply problems.
EDF is gradually restarting its reactors, demand for electricity has dropped sharply, the weather remains mild and gas reserves are more than 80% full.
What reassure the executive: "
With the efforts of sobriety made by large companies, administrations, local authorities but also all the French, with all the work of EDF to reconnect its power stations [...], we have demonstrated that we were able to withstand peaks of cold
, ”said the Minister of Energy Transition, Agnès Pannier-Runacher, this Friday, on FranceInfo.