RTE, the manager of the high voltage electricity network calls on the French to reduce their electricity consumption. The company fears that the cold wave affecting the country will cause a tense situation on the electricity network.
On his websiteRTE explains that “ due to lower temperatures Electricity consumption could exceed production around 9 a.m. on Monday. If such a scenario occurs, France would have to import electricity. ” Electricity consumption will be high this Monday, April 4, 2022 and could reach 73,000 MW around 09:00. Electricity production should be 65,000 MW, but France should be able to import up to 11,000 MW “, reassures the RTE, which does not envisage a power cut.
Simple gestures
The operator also asks ” companies, communities and households to reduce their consumption between 7 a.m. and 10 a.m. “. To do this, the manager recalls the simple actions that can considerably reduce consumption: completely turn off the appliances on standby or even lower the temperature of his home.
For example, if all French people just turn off a light bulb, this leads to a saving in electricity consumption of 600 MW, which is the consumption of a city such as Toulouse.
The French electricity network is under tension due to the unavailability of several nuclear reactors which are under maintenance. Currently, 27 nuclear reactors are unavailable out of 56. Faced with this situation, the government does not rule out the reopening of the coal-fired power plant in Saint-Avold, in Lorraine, next winter.