Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – Near freezing temperatures in the coming days will test the resilience of the French electricity grid. This happened after the emergence of the possibility of power outages in the country.
French utility EDF saw its electricity generation drop to a 30-year low in early 2022. This is due to a record number of nuclear reactor outages and France’s race against time to ensure energy installations can operate at full capacity during the winter.
“France is more vulnerable to the European energy crisis”, said EnAppSys energy consultant Jean-Paul Harreman Reuters (6/12/2022).
“This fueled by the impact of the war on Ukraine, rather than other European countries due to low nuclear availability and demand which is very sensitive to temperature,” he added.
November temperatures reduce electricity consumption in France. But temperatures have continued to drop this December and are expected to stay close to freezing this week and next.
On Monday, lower nuclear availability was offset by supply from neighboring France and high production from gas-fired power plants. Even so, RTE’s EcoWatt alert app will provide alerts about peak demand or the risk of cuts.
“It’s not cold enough for that yet, but we’re seeing France reach its import cap,” Harreman said.
Refinitiv analyst Nathalie Gerl said so with forecasts pointing to cooler temperatures next week. She said the requirements would be even stricter on Monday 12 December.
“Consumption will peak at 80GW (up from 73GW on Dec. 5), while wind power is expected to be below normal. If nuclear availability remains at 37-38GW, the risk of a supply gap it will be much more serious than it currently is, ”he said. .
So far, French President Emmanuel Macron continues to urge residents not to panic with the threat of blackouts in winter. However, he hasn’t turned a blind eye to the blackout option.
“It’s legal for the government to prepare for extreme cases, which means cutting off power for several hours a day if we don’t have enough energy,” he said.
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