The increase in electricity and gas tariffs for consumers will be “contained” in 2023, assured Saturday August 27 the Minister of the Economy Bruno Le Maire. “The 4% cap (of the regulated tariff, editor’s note) will be maintained until the end of 2022, there will be no catch-up on this cap in 2023, and the increases mentioned by the President of the Republic and the first minister will be contained increases”he said on the sidelines of the congress of majority executives in Metz.
Wholesale electricity prices for 2023 broke a record for France the day before, reaching more than 1,000 euros per megawatt / hour (MWh), against around 85 euros per MWh a year ago. Gas prices were moving this week to historic levels, more seen since the start of the Russian invasion in Ukraine, more than 300 euros per MWh.
Energy vouchers for the most modest
“For the most modest households, there will be energy vouchers which will help those who are most in difficulty to pay their energy bills”added Bruno Le Maire, who specified that the “contained increases” to come in 2023 would also concern the price of gas, without going into more detail.
“We don’t want inflation to translate into economic brutality for French households. We want it to be soft, bearable, contained”he hammered, adding that the effects of inflation for the population should be “smoothed over time”.
For companies, Bruno Le Maire said he wanted to simplify access to a fund of 3 billion euros for those who have difficulty paying their electricity bill. He also recalled that 1.5 million SMEs benefited from the regulated electricity tariff and that others benefited from preferential tariffs.
Help for businesses
The government will “simplify in the days to come these criteria for access to the one-stop shop so that any company which is currently in difficulty because its electricity bill has exploded and it is not protected by tariffs regulated, can more easily access these subsidies”promised the minister.
Asked about the cost for the State of this aid and the capping of energy prices, Bruno Le Maire indicated that “All budget forecasts were made taking into account the very sharp increase in electricity and gas prices. We are not taken aback”.
A European concern
Soaring electricity and gas prices are worrying all European countries. The Czech prime minister, whose country holds the presidency of the European Union, said on Friday that his country would convene “an emergency meeting of energy ministers to discuss specific emergency measures to deal with the energy situation”.
On Wednesday, during the return of his government, Emmanuel Macron underlined the seriousness of the challenges of the return by calling on the government and the majority to “unity” in the face of the effects of the climate crisis and “the end of abundance”.
“I believe, for my part, that what we are going through is more of the order of a major shift or a major upheaval”, he declared in front of Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne and the ministers. Citing the effects of the war in Ukraine, which began six months ago to the day, and the climate crisis, he highlighted “the end of abundance”whether it be “cash”, “technology products”raw materials or water.