2024-01-05 18:26:17
France will shiver next week, but it will be able to meet its electricity needs, according to RTE. This Friday, the manager of the high voltage network announced that France had broken a record for electricity exports to its European neighbors on Wednesday. RTE expects next week to see “increasing electricity consumption (…) with the resumption of economic activity” after Christmas, “and temperatures forecast below normal” for the season, according to its press release.
No worries, however, for the security of electricity supply: “French production will be able to cover consumption in the territory, with a peak estimated at 83.5 GW on Wednesday January 10,” RTE anticipated on the basis of weather forecasts which can still evolve. France’s historic consumption record dates back to the cold wave at the start of 2012, with a peak rising to 102.98 GW on February 8 at 7 p.m.
“Even if no particular vigilance is required for security of supply, France will be able to count on its import capacities if necessary” thanks to its European neighbors, also specified the manager of the high-speed electricity transmission network. tension. Placed in 2022 in an unprecedented situation due to corrosion problems detected on several nuclear reactors, France had been a net importer of electricity for almost the entire year, which had not happened for 42 years.
Records shattered
Since then, the electricity system has been in much better shape: on January 3 at 3:30 p.m., “France recorded a new maximum export balance at 20.3 GW”, thus shattering the previous export records, which occurred in February 2019 (17 .4 GW) and December 2023 (18.7 GW). In fact, “the markets have shown their interest in the production of French electricity”, which is abundant and competitive, underlines RTE.
“This dynamism in trade” can be explained by “several factors”, RTE citing a “structural decline” in consumption observed since the end of 2022 combined with the traditional drop in demand during Christmas; temperatures “above seasonal norms”; “abundant wind production in France” and “higher availability of nuclear production” than in 2023 marked by corrosion problems in the reactors.
“These favorable conditions” enabled France to cover all of its electricity needs with carbon-free sources (wind, hydraulic, solar and nuclear), on January 2 and 3, including during consumption peaks.
#Electricity #France #ready #face #coming #cold #snap #assures #RTE