“It is thanks to European solidarity that we can avoid binding measures.” After the Extraordinary Energy Defense Council, which was held this Friday, September 2, 2022, the Minister for Energy Transition, Agnès Pannier-Runacher, took the floor to discuss the crisis and the threat hanging over winter. With the war in Ukraine and the European sanctions against Russia, gas supplies are becoming scarcer and weigh on the entire sector. To the point that the coming months could be painful.
Some scenarios provide for power cuts and difficulties in heating for many households. The government thinks it can avoid it. “The key is general mobilization,” said the minister. After calling on companies to put in place sobriety plans, the executive reaffirms that its “success will require everyone’s effort”. Electricity and gas cuts can be avoided if everyone is careful in their consumption, says the government.
Among the requested attentions, it is on the heating that the minister calls on the fellow citizens to be the most attentive. Avoiding overheating. This “chosen sobriety”, as the government presents it, will only hold by the reduction of 1 to 2 degrees minimum per household. The executive had already called, a few days ago, to remove appliances from the mains and maximize consumption at certain times. The objective is clear: to reduce our energy consumption by 10%.
The government is convinced that it can avoid the decline in business production as well as coercive and restrictive measures, such as rationing. Without, however, clearly explaining what these measures could look like. But if the government is so confident, it is because it ensures that it does everything to avoid the disaster scenario, especially in Europe. France intends to push “a European agenda” to coordinate solidarity between countries and plans joint action in the face of the crisis. Energy ministers are due to meet for an extraordinary meeting of the Energy Council in Brussels on 9 September.
The other commitment of the State is to control gas stocks. “We have secured them up to 92%”, reassures Agnès Pannier-Runacher. We are two months ahead of our target.” A reassuring prospect as Russian gas supplies have dried up a little more in recent days. To overcome this and heat the entire territory, EDF is committed to restart 32 nuclear reactors, currently shut down.The government has also agreed “to cushion part of the rise in energy prices”.
