GAS SHUTDOWN. GRDF, the French gas distributor has assured that no gas cut will affect private homes this winter. However, he called for continued efforts to reduce energy consumption.
[Mis à jour le 22 décembre 2022 à 14h26] If power cuts are feared this winter in France, the risk is ruled out with regard to gas. The operator GRDF (Gaz network distribution France) showed optimistic prospects for this winter and indicated on December 9 that with stocks filled to the brim, the hypothesis of having to cut off the gas supply to the French is swept away . On the other hand, the gas distributor warned that certain customers, only companies and industrialists, could suffer gas cuts if extreme tensions were felt on the network. The likelihood of this happening is therefore low. But if the case arises, who would be affected by the gas cut? Only companies that consume 5 GWh of gas per year, which is equivalent to 5 million kWh per year when the average consumption of a household is estimated at 15,000 kWh per year. In France, 5,000 companies consume as much gas reports France Blue.
Are gas stocks sufficient to avoid cuts this winter?
In the fall of 2022, the energy crisis heralded a difficult winter and gas supply problems with a post-Covid-19 economic recovery that siphoned off energy stocks and Russian gas deliveries that came to an end due to of the war in Ukraine. As a result, the government has moved to take the necessary measures and to fill the gas stocks to the maximum before the onset of winter. The objective was achieved in early October according to a press release from the Energy Regulatory Commission (CRE). But even filled, these stocks alone cannot meet France’s energy needs for an entire winter. At the height of its capacity, French storage contains 128.5 TWh, which corresponds to 28.5% of the annual consumption of French people according to data from Gas Infrastructure Europe (GIE), i.e. “2/3 of the winter consumption of SMEs and individuals” according to the CRE. It is therefore these stocks plus the deliveries made by certain European countries, including Norway, and other countries producing liquefied natural gas that will allow France not to suffer, or very little, from gas cuts. .
CRE and GRDF also recalled that the use of gas cuts would largely depend on temperatures. But the cold wave in mid-December did not plunge the gas network into the red and it seems that even in the event of a new wave the network could hold out. This resistance is also due to a drop in consumption observed by energy operators. And all call on the Frenchman to continue these efforts to keep the risk of gas cuts at bay.
What are the risks of gas shortages in France?
The risks are almost nil according to GRDF. The supplier affirmed with certainty on December 9 that individuals will not be affected by gas cuts during the winter and that in rare cases, only companies and industrialists with significant gas consumption will potentially see their supply temporarily cut off. Unlike the electrical load shedding planned in the event of high voltages on the electricity network, no load shedding operation is planned on the gas network as a solution to avoid more significant and lasting cuts. Which are not even considered.
Without mentioning load shedding, the government has invited the French, individuals and professionals, to make efforts to avoid the risk of cuts and still calls for certain actions to be taken to reduce energy consumption. The drop in temperatures for heating to 19 or 18°C is the perfect example.
If your gas is cut off, particularly in the event of a generalized stoppage, you must contact the specialized service of GRDF (Gas distribution network France) on 0 800 47 33 33. Note that the manager has the obligation to warn you by upstream. Thus, the customer must be able to stop his consumption. Normally, if we are to believe the latest news brought by thehe director of the transmission network operator GRTgaz, Thierry Trouve, on Wednesday September 14 in a statement. However, GRTgaz warned of “situations of tension [qui] could however develop during the winter”, mentioning in particular the “risks of imposed reductions in consumption which would only concern large consumers”.