Gas, energy, inflation… What really awaits France next winter

“Winter is going to be complicated”. The Renaissance deputy, (ex-LREM), Marc Ferraci, explains, in the columns of Le Parisien, that “every effort is made to limit the constraints, but there will be constraints“.

Indeed, as Marc Fesneau, the Minister of Agriculture also points out in the daily newspaper, “the geopolitical context, the war, the subject of climate change and energy” are subjects of great concern to the French.

Because France is truly suffering from the inflation induced by these various factors. And it’s not over… From September, the note is likely to be salty and will pose major problems…In particular energy. Bruno Le Maire, the Minister of the Economy, already declared in July 2022: “we will have to make courageous choices”, in a context of general soaring energy prices.

According to an article in Le Monde, household demand for electricity during the winter would also be at its peak. However, to pass the peaks, the consumption of the electric park of the Hexagon would theoretically risk being undermined. However, in this possibility lies a part of uncertainty: it will depend on the extent of the cold season…

In the event of a crisis, restrictions in French households, industry and businesses would possibly be possible, as would “rotating load shedding”, localized power cuts to compensate for the deficit. To avoid these circumstances, the government is calling for “eco-gestures” to reduce the electricity bill. Invoice which, in winter, risks climbing dangerously.

The European Commission for its part proposed on July 20 a target of reducing gas consumption by 15% in the Member States to cope with winter, explained Euractiv. At the moment, the filling of stocks is only 65% ​​of the maximum capacity, which could compromise the whole of European heating.

In this sense, L’usine Nouvelle informs that Engie would aim to face this energy crisis and support supply. The group had also announced on July 29 that it was going to donate aid of 100 euros to customers benefiting from the energy check to support consumers.

So, in order to support the most precarious, an exceptional bonus of 100 euros was also voted by Parliament to deal with growing inflation in France… But will it be enough to stop this worrying economic phenomenon?

A second lever to relieve both the electric park and the wallet of the French is envisaged. The solution is simple: the Energy Regulatory Commission (CRE) would like to put in place a system to limit consumption during peak hours, reports Capital.

How ? By forcing energy suppliers to offer preferential rates to users who decide to consume during off-peak hours or accept that their access to the electricity network is partially cut off.