France’s electricity supply in January 2023 is concentrated “more risk” than in October 2022, and this because the nuclear fleet is lower than expected, warned RTE, France’s electricity network manager, in a monthly update published on Friday, November 18. Thus, according to “likely scenario”Only 40 gigawatts, or about 65% of installed nuclear capacity, should be available in early January due to the impact of social movements in September and October. “Delays and Technical Threats” in routine maintenance.
“The already accumulated delays at certain reactors make it improbable that 45 gigawatts of availability will be achieved during this period.said Thomas Weirenck, CEO responsible for strategy, forecasting and evaluation at RTE, referring to the previous forecast. EDF will have to restart 15 of its reactors by mid-December (25 out of 56 are currently closed) to improve the situation, which is not the most likely scenario, according to RTE.
Solidarity agreement with Germany
In this situation, there is a risk of activating the Ecowatt device, a kind of smart bison for electricity and, in particular, the red warning signal that warns of a possible power cut. “High in January”Even this “It will mainly depend on the weather conditions and even a possible occurrence of mild cold”According to RTE. According to the information of the Transitional Ministry of Energy, this is “It is too early to confirm whether a power outage will be necessary”, but RTE believes they could, if they did, affect private individuals. To get to that point, the government hopes to sign a solidarity agreement in the week of November 21 to export electricity from Germany to France. “Maximum power”.
However, in the short term, the situation is emerging Low risk by the end of November, medium risk by the beginning of December.Given higher than normal seasonal temperatures and reduced electricity consumption. From early October to mid-November, it fell 5% to 7%.
“At this point, this structural drop in electricity demand is offsetting the delay in bringing some reactors back into service.”We confirm in the Transitional Ministry of Energy, where we insist that this decline is mainly due to industrialists. As a result, the level of risk should be distributed differently than RTE predicted in October: “Less risk in December, more in January and less in late February and March.” ยป
Source: Le Monde
James Bilodeau is a political junkie and a writer at Run Down Bulletin. With a deep understanding of the inner workings of government, he provides comprehensive coverage of the latest political developments, both at home and abroad.
