While the European meteorological institutes predict that December 2022 will be the coldest month recorded for ten years, the manager of the high and very high voltage network in France, RTE, the body in charge of evaluating the weather in the electricity, shared reassuring news on Tuesday, December 20. While the risk of tensions on the French electricity network was considered “high” for the month of January, it is now considered “medium”.
A notable drop in household consumption
If France approaches “the heart of winter in a more favorable situation than at the beginning of autumn”, in the words of RTE, it is thanks to “a sharp drop in consumption”, estimated at 9% over the past four weeks. In addition to this notable effort by households, two other data contribute to this drop in vigilance: hydraulic stocks, damaged by the drought, were replenished during the autumn, while gas stocks have , was preserved thanks to the mild temperatures of October and November. In addition, since the beginning of December, several nuclear reactors have been restarted, increasing the total capacity of the national nuclear fleet to 40 gigawatts.
These elements therefore make it possible to move from the red Ecowatt signal “a very tense electrical system with inevitable cuts if we do not lower our consumption”, established in September, to the orange sticker, and a “tense electrical system where eco-gestures are the welcome”. The latest update of RTE’s outlook is therefore optimistic, even if it links the good management of reserves to the pursuit of efforts, and does not exclude supply difficulties “in the event of very unfavorable weather conditions.”