A tense winter. The soaring prices of gas and electricity give cold sweats to the French, but also to the government. If the tariff shield will be able to reduce the bill, it will not work miracles either and the public authorities are calling for energy sobriety, on the side of individuals, businesses but also communities. Heating turned off at night, sweaters offered to schoolchildren, turtlenecks instead of shirts… The tricks of the French are numerous, while winter is far from over.
For its part, the government would think of a solution to lower the price of electricity. Asked about this in the National Assembly, Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne explained that France was trying to do like Spain and Portugal. They “succeeded in dividing the price of electricity by three. These days, the President of the Republic will meet the President of the European Commission and the German Chancellor and we have good hopes of bringing this mechanism to fruition everywhere in Europe” , she said, quoted by The Independent.
By what sleight of hand have these two countries reduced the bill? They have simply left the European system and can therefore set the price of their electricity themselves. This is not the case in France, where “the price is indexed to the most expensive means: gas power plants”, explains the regional daily, adding: “It is the last power plant activated which sets the price. , often very high in times of stress”. If Spain and Portugal were able to free themselves, it is also because their electricity comes from renewable sources and they are less dependent on Russian gas.
Can we also get there in France? Nothing is less sure. Reforming the current system might not appeal to northern European countries and even Norway, which is now the largest supplier of natural gas. The question of Midcat – a gas pipeline under the Pyrenees, which France opposes, refusing the construction of the last link, which connects Aude to Catalonia – could also come back on the table…
