Power cuts: what are the forecasts for the month of January?

The threat of load shedding still hangs over the country. For several weeks now, the French have been engaged in unprecedented energy sobriety efforts. These daily gestures were necessary first of all to protect their purchasing power.

Indeed, for several months now, the price of energy has experienced a particularly significant increase, like many other areas such as food. Thus, it was important to reduce its energy expenditure because it remains an effective way to reduce the cost of its bills. “The energy we save is the cheapest”, summed up Emmanuel Macron during a speech given on October 6, 2022.

But this is not the only reason that has pushed the population to engage in this process of energy sobriety. The specter of power cuts indeed hovers over France, especially since the arrival of cold .

As of October 6, Emmanuel Macron made a national call for energy sobriety, providing details on what this term means to him. “Sobriety just means gaining in efficiency […] we have to somehow accelerate energy efforts: that’s good sobriety”, he declared in front of entrepreneurs at Bpifrance Inno Génération in Paris, like the specified the Huffington Post.

For him, the goal of this national effort was to “collectively succeed in reducing by 10% what we usually consume”. But today, after weeks of French sobriety, does the goal seem attainable?

This Wednesday, December 28, the president of the Energy Regulation Commission spoke at the microphone of France Inter on energy sobriety and the efforts of the French. “It’s true that the call for sobriety has really been heard. Over the last 4 months, we’ve been at -9% electricity consumption, for businesses and families,” she said. .

“It really means that people are paying attention and that they are anticipating the increase in regulated prices, which will be 15% in January for gas, and 15% in February for electricity,” she said. continued, recalling the future gas and electricity price increases the increase in regulated tariffs at the beginning of 2023.

Will these substantial efforts prevent load shedding?

The President of the Energy Regulatory Commission also returned to the subject of load shedding. “Until January 15, we know we won’t have any difficulty,” she said. Thus, in the next three weeks, the French should escape power cuts.

For the rest, the data are not yet sufficient to be sure. “It’s still a little early to say what will happen in the heart of winter,” said Emmanuelle Wargon on the France Inter antenna.