Electricity transmission system operators have warned: load shedding measures are not a possibility to be ruled out this winter. Indeed, with the French nuclear fleet only very slowly picking up the seed, and the war in Ukraine compromising the purchase of energy abroad, the supply of electricity to France could well be compromised.

In order to escape the total blackout, the managers have planned a load shedding plan in the event of too much tension on the network. These load shedding would involve regionalised, scheduled power cuts limited to a duration of 2 hours. In order to see the cuts coming, it will be necessary to monitor the EcoWatt site, or the “electricity weather forecast” and its green, orange and red warning signals.

Indeed, in the event of an orange or red alert, you will have to monitor your electricity consumption very closely, and reduce it as much as possible! Otherwise, we will risk repeated cuts. Turning down the heating even by one degree can significantly reduce your electricity demand. One of the main poles of electricity consumption remains heating.

Therefore, the risk of network overvoltage is therefore intimately linked to the weather! However, we are currently witnessing a drop in temperatures, an entry into winter in the rules, in short. The cold snap that started last week will continue this weekend, and there is a risk of snowfall even in the plains. According to expert Nicolas Goldberg, who confided in Le Figaro, we could see a first EcoWatt red alert on Monday, given the expected temperatures.

Find below the 45 departments in which it will be the coldest this weekend according to Météo France, and which will therefore be the most at risk of an orange alert.