The Saint-Avold coal-fired power plant in eastern France was restarted on Monday 28 November. Objective: to meet the demand for energy which increases with the onset of cold weather. President Emmanuel Macron had however promised to close the last coal-fired power stations in the country, which emit a lot of CO2, the first greenhouse gas and responsible for climate change.
The Émile-Huchet coal-fired power plant in Saint-Avold had been shut down since March 2022. But now, with the first frosts and the start-up of the heating, the demand for energy is increasing in France. And, with the cessation of Russian fuel deliveries and part of the French nuclear reactors shut down for maintenance, the risk of load shedding is serious in the country this winter 2022-2023.
Transitional measure
The government has therefore chosen to reopen the Saint-Avold plant. And ensures that it is a transitional measure. That the commitment of the French president is not questioned. Emmanuel Macron had – in fact – promised, during his first term, to close the last four coal-fired power stations in the country. Because, if they only represented barely more than 1% of electricity production in 2020, they weighed more than a quarter of the greenhouse gas emissions of the French electricity sector.
500,000 tons of coal
Coal is also the main source of CO2 emissions in the world. The Saint-Avold power station will need 500,000 tonnes of coal to operate until the end of March 2023. The Émile-Huchet power station, when operating at full capacity, produces up to 600 Megawatt hours (MWh) and can supply a third of the homes in the Grand-Est region.
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