Dreaded at the end of the week, the issuance of an Ecowatt orange alert is ruled out this Monday, December 12 and for the next few days despite the drop in temperatures everywhere in France.
[Mis à jour le 12 décembre 2022 à 9h03] France is in the green. According to the Ecowatt platform, presented as the “electricity weather forecast”, no voltage is expected on the electricity network this Monday, December 12, 2022, no more than the next three days. Good news and an encouraging sign of France’s ability to withstand winter without power cuts as negative temperatures set in and raised fears of a first orange alert. A completely green card means that “the level of electricity consumption is lower than the production available for the day and that we have sufficient margins”, explained the electricity transmission network (RTE) at the end of the week. The cooling of temperatures still leads to an increase in consumption, but according to the energy operator’s calculations, this first cold snap has no effect on the power supply.
If the orange alert could be avoided on Monday despite the drop in temperatures, it is largely thanks to the measures taken by RTE. Among the levers activated, the operator explains that he has resorted to “voltage drops, reductions in industrial consumption, etc.” to “maintain sufficient margins” explains the energy manager. For the time being, these unilateral solutions are enough to keep the electricity network going, but if the cold winter continues, efforts will also have to come from the French to avoid an orange alert and above all to dismiss Ecowatt red alerts. Because if an orange alert reflects tensions, the red alert can lead to load shedding and therefore scheduled power cuts. Efforts are already requested on a voluntary basis from the population to reduce or shift their energy consumption.
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Why was an orange alert feared?
The specter of an orange alert issued by Ecowatt for the day on Monday appeared on Thursday, December 8. In question ? The weather forecast announced a considerable drop in temperatures and a drop to 0°C over the entire northern half of the country. The cold spell is confirmed but has not led to an insurmountable increase in electricity consumption, a reasonable consumption which has made it possible to rule out the risk of an orange alert. In addition to the weather conditions, the energy production is decisive for transmitting Ecowatt signals. Also, if the electricity consumption can be ensured when the cold is harsher, it is thanks to a higher energy production than expected in the calculations of the past week.
Forecasts may change
The Ecowatt website set up by RTE in September aims to alert the population in real time to avoid electricity shortages and power cuts this winter. The orange signal is synonymous with a “tense” electrical system and calls for “eco-gestures” on the part of individuals and businesses. It is in the event of a red signal that load shedding – in other words preventive cuts – can be decided to avoid the blackout.
RTE indicates that the forecasts for this weekend and for next week may still change “significantly”. But this first Ecowatt alert, if it happened, would concretize the fears fueled for a week by the operators and by the government, which sent a circular to the prefects to anticipate the load shedding.