They are at the heart of all concerns. The possible power cuts that could occur this winter have been the talk of the town in recent weeks. And yet: as the government reminded us, this measure will only be used as a last resort, in the event of excessive voltage on the French electricity network.
Before triggering load shedding, the executive and the various energy players have put in place a whole range of measures aimed at reducing the country’s consumption… And therefore limiting the risks of cuts which, let us remember, will be programmed, localized, and lasting a maximum of two hours.
But here it is: fear is conducive to the spread of false information. Fabrice Di Vizio, lawyer, relayed a publication claiming that up to ten power cuts were already scheduled by EDF. “It’s nice to know that the French population does not have access to information about them,” added the man known for his positions against the health pass and the Covid-19 vaccination.
Our colleagues from TF1 studied the rumor, and found its origin in the publication of an MEP, Michael Bloss, who declared that the manager of the electricity network planned up to ten power cuts for the winter of 2022-2023. The information comes from a German newspaper, Die Zeit, which states that France “concretely expects to have to cut the electricity six to ten times in certain regions in order to avoid an even greater blackout”.
These figures, attributed to Xavier Piechaczyk, head of the French electricity network operator RTE, actually come from an “intermediate scenario” presented by the chairman of the executive board, and are in no way information that the government would have tried to conceal. A few days ago, Xavier Piechaczyk recalled on France Inter that power cuts were “neither certain nor inevitable”.
You will have understood: EDF has not scheduled any power cuts this winter, and any power cuts will be announced several days in advance so that collective efforts can prevent them.
