Power cuts this winter: the 19 departments that consume the most

A winter in the dark? The coldest season has not yet arrived in France, but energy professionals are already sounding the alarm. Since the end of the summer, the government has called on the French to be vigilant, asking them to lower their consumption through small gestures. Companies, shops and places of life are also affected by these new behaviors. RTE, network manager in France, estimated in September that power cuts, also called “load shedding” would only take place in the event of a very cold winter. This Thursday, October 13, EDF changed its tone and was much less optimistic…

According to Reuters, quoted by Midi Libre, the company’s Social and Economic Council is worried about the coming weeks. His secretary said: “If we have a normally cold winter, or a very cold one, we will not be able to do without load shedding”. According to him, “erasure capabilities will not be enough”. As the EDF site explains, “when the electrical situation is very tense on the electrical network, it may be necessary to make occasional cuts called load shedding to maintain the integrity of the electrical system”. The company adds that these are “controlled” and “short-term” cuts in order to “avoid a larger-scale problem”.

Is it the fault of the French? Guest of Franceinfo on Wednesday October 12, Xavier Piechaczyk, the president of RTE, explained that he had not noticed a significant drop in electricity consumption in France compared to the same period in 2019. Currently, the company has noticed a drop in the consumption of “-1% to -2% compared to 2019”, reference year. As a reminder, the government aims to achieve 10% energy savings in 2024 and 40% in 2050. We are still very far from it, while winter promises to be harsh…

If the electricity network must be cut during the winter, it will not be everywhere at the same time. Will the departments that consume the most be the first to be impacted? According to a study by the Up Energie platform published last May, around twenty territories consumed more electricity than the others in 2020. Find out which ones below.