The French government is preparing to restart the coal-fired power plant in Saint-Avold (Moselle), the Ministry of Energy Transition announced on Sunday June 26. The measure is ” as a precaution, given the Ukrainian situation “, he justified himself, ensuring however that the commitment of President Emmanuel Macron to close all coal-fired power stations “ remains unchanged “.
” As a precaution, given the Ukrainian situation, we are keeping the possibility of being able to operate the Saint-Avold plant for a few more hours if we need it next winter. “said the ministry in a press release, confirming information disclosed earlier by RTL radio.
The decision is not a total surprise: this restart “ is part of the closure plan “, repeated the ministry, because the latter planned, when the plant closed on March 31, to restart it punctually to secure the country’s electricity supply. That in view of the conflict in Ukraine and setbacks encountered by EDF’s nuclear fleet.
” We would remain, in any case, below 1 % of electricity produced by coal “, assures the ministry, “ and no Russian coal would be used “.
Consequently, ” a decree will be put out for consultation to organize this possibility and it will include ” environmental compensation “. This because this restart must be neutral for the environment, the operator committing to ” reforestation projects for example “, according to the ministry headed by Agnès Pannier-Runacher.
The government also plans to integrate ” legislative adjustments “this summer in the purchasing power bill so that the social plan concerning the power station is not canceled:” This shows the government’s resolve to permanently close this coal-fired power plant “.
Half of the former employees retired, the director wants to call them back
When it closed, 87 employees were still working in the Emile Huchet plant, half of whom have since retired. To run the plant, around 70 people are needed, according to its director Philippe Lenglart. He told AFP in March that he intended to recall former employees rather than recruit if necessary this winter.
There’s only one other coal-fired power plant still open in France, in Cordemais, in Loire-Atlantique. President Emmanuel Macron had promised to close these last coal-fired power stations by 2022, which can be easily mobilized to produce electricity when needed, but also emit a lot of CO2.
(With AFP & Reuters)
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