Emmanuel Macron has called for water conservation across the country in view of the months of drought in France. “Because of climate change, by 2050 we will have about 30 to 40 percent less water available than today. That’s why we have to adapt to saving water in the long term,” said France’s President, who presented a national water plan in Savines-le-Lac in the French Alps on Thursday.
All sectors should present a plan to use 10 percent less water by 2030. In addition, ten percent of the treated water should be reused by then. Currently, only one percent of the so-called gray water is reused in France, in Spain it is 15 percent. At the same time, the regulations are to be simplified in order to encourage the use of rainwater.
Water prices are to be staggered in the future so that excessive consumption becomes expensive. “That doesn’t mean that the water will be expensive,” Macron said. Higher prices are only intended for “comfort consumption”, he emphasized, without citing examples.
The French nuclear power plants should also use less water in the future. “We have to adapt our nuclear power plants to climate change,” said Macron. Future investments should make it possible “to work more with closed circuits,” he explained. Several nuclear power plants were throttled last summer because the cooling water threatened to heat up rivers with low water levels too much.
According to Macron, a good half of the water taken from nature in France is used to generate electricity. The environment ministry had presented new figures the night before, according to which the nuclear power plants consume three times less water than previously assumed.
According to this, the nuclear power plants only account for twelve percent instead of the previously assumed 31 percent of the total water consumption.
Macron announced massive financial aid to enforce more efficient water consumption. Around 180 million euros are said to be available annually to repair damaged lines. About 20 percent of the water is currently lost through water pipes, in some regions even up to half of the water.
