According to RTE, there is a “high” risk of tensions on the French network in January 2023. The Prime Minister, Elisabeth Borne, is preparing for possible “rotating merchants”.
by Claire Gatinois
It’s been a little over six months that Elisabeth Borne arrived in Matignon. A little more than six months than the old prefect, called to manage climate emergency as well as tensions on energy prices, against the backdrop of war in Ukraine, is a day after day why the residence of the Prime Ministers is nicknamed “Hell”. “I only read the positive notes!”, She jokes. The latest electricity transport network (RTE) is far from being. Made public Friday, November 18, it was clearly read by the tenant of Matignon and his teams.
Presenting the prospects of the electrical system for the fall and winter 2022-2023, the text revives the scenario, describes as “nightmarish” within the government, possible power cuts. According to RTE, there is now a “high” risk of tensions on the French electricity network in January 2023, due to the slower than expected restart of EDF nuclear reactors. “Imagine, France, sixth world power, which has been praised for half a century the flagships of the nuclear industry!”, We breathe in Bercy.
put on the agenda of the meeting of the forty -one ministers in Matignon, the day before, the threat, yesterday deemed highly improbable, is therefore taken seriously, even if certain communicators are surprised: so far, The instruction was not to panic the French. “Our work is not to worry but to prepare,” we explain to the cabinet of the Prime Minister.
“Our fear is very tough winter “
To consider the worst, an interministerial crisis cell (ICC), called anticipation, has been set up for a month already. Housed in the basements of the Ministry of the Interior, chaired by Aurélien Rousseau, director of the cabinet of the Prime Minister, and led by the prefect Anne Clerc, she brings together once to twice a week the representatives of the various ministries as well as responsible for RTE and ENEDIS. The stake: target the risks and consequences of these possible cuts, modestly called “turning merchants”.
Concretely, electricity would be cut for two hours in certain geographic areas to relieve the network. The load shedding is said to be a turning point, because the “blackout” will not always touch the same territories. Hospitals or prisons will be immediately excluded from these cuts. “We are currently working on maintaining the electricity of network hearts, what we would have called central telephone, to preserve emergency calls,” also underlines a government representative.
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