Like deja vu. This Friday, September 2, Emmanuel Macron inaugurated the first Energy Defense Council on the model of the Health Defense Council set up in an emergency in the early hours of the pandemic. This time, the virus does not come from Wuhan but from Moscow. The energy shock follows the Covid shock. But the words are the same, and the remedies ultimately not so far apart, even if the executive does not draw the parallel. TousAntiCovid, the app so decried at the start of the health crisis but ultimately adopted by millions of French people, could well be replaced by Ecowatt, which allows real-time monitoring of the intensity of electricity consumption in France region by region, warns potential power cuts and provides advice and good green gestures.
To limit the recessionary effects of the crisis on economic activity, it is the return of partial unemployment. In the glass industry, hit hard by soaring gas prices, some manufacturers such as Duralex or Arc have decided to close their factories for several weeks and put some of their employees on partial activity. As in the time of the Covid, the State opens its wallet. We no longer talk about solidarity funds, but the principle is the same: to allow the companies most affected to take the leap. Aid has existed since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, but it is poorly calibrated and barely 500,000 euros have been distributed by the State. Too little, by the very admission of Bercy who promised to review the criteria.
The teleworking lever could also be activated. If the dark scenario materializes with an icy winter, part of the nuclear fleet still in capilotade and less abundant LNG deliveries than expected, the temptation to close offices so as not to have to heat them any longer and to encourage telework could arise. make it more pressing. This hypothesis has already been mentioned in the public service with the closure of public buildings a few days a week. The measure could spread in the private sector. Last stage of the rocket, finally, the return of the famous front lines and strategic sectors. Agrifood yesterday; telecoms today: clearly, all those sectors for which no rationing of gas or electricity can be envisaged. One crisis drives out the other. Except that this time, there is no hope of the vaccine…
