The most sensitive month of winter. Since September, RTE has been warning about possible power cuts in January, normally the coldest of the year. If the network manager never said that they would arrive, he did not hide his concern, citing tensions for the first month of 2023. To avoid this disaster scenario, the government has multiplied calls for energy sobriety , for both professionals and individuals. Announced on October 6, here is what it provides:
The executive’s message seems to have been heard, because energy consumption in France has been falling in recent weeks and the phenomenon is ongoing. According to the latest figures from RTE, electricity consumption in France fell again last week, from December 26 to January 1, while the French were on vacation, between Christmas and New Year.
In its summary, the network manager specifies: “Electricity consumption in France is down compared to the average for previous years (2014-2019, excluding the health crisis)” and stands at -8.5%. “The bearish effect is generally maintained during this second week of holidays, even with warmer than normal temperatures,” adds RTE on its site. Will we therefore escape rotating load shedding?
If the French consumed less electricity, they also consumed less gas because GRTgaz, the main carrier in our country, noted a drop of -11.2% “from August 1, 2022 to January 1, 2023 compared to the same period. between 2018 and 2019. For him, this “results from a significant reduction in the consumption of public distribution (13.3%) and large industrialists connected to the transmission network (-22.8%)”.
The decrease in electricity consumption mentioned by RTE concerns all sectors, both residential and industrial and tertiary. The manager of the French electricity network therefore welcomes “the real effect of the sobriety actions undertaken by individuals and companies”. What are the forecasts for the next few weeks?
In its forecast study for winter 2022 and 2023, updated in December, here is what was planned by RTE:
In December, RTE also explained that “during the first part of January, the level of risk is lowered from ‘high’ to ‘medium'”. This drop in consumption is therefore good news and takes France a little further away from the risk of rotating load shedding.