Government prepares minds for ‘probable’ Russian gas cut

by time news

France, which says it is in a more “favorable” situation than its neighbours, must in particular acquire a new floating LNG terminal next year to ensure its supply.

The government called on Sunday July 10 to “get into battle order quicklyto deal with the possibility of a total cut in Russian gas supplies,most likely optionaccording to the Minister of the Economy Bruno Le Maire.

«Let’s prepare for the total cut off of Russian gas, this is the most likely option today. It supposes that we accelerate our energy independence“, pleaded during the Economic Meetings of Aix-en-Provence the number 2 of the French government, which wants to take advantage of the summer to “get into battle order” before winter. “We are fiercely independent. The first independence must be energy“, he hammered in Aix.

In terms of supply,we can have tensions on the gas this winter“Warned Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne on Saturday during a meeting with the press. To avoid shortages, the government has requested the filling to “almost 100%» national gas storage capacities by early autumn. “On electricity, normally, according to EDF’s projections, we should have higher production asThat the twelve reactors (out of 56) currently shut down for corrosion will restart, Elisabeth Borne said on Saturday.

But if electricity were to run out, the government is preparing for the winter a series of measures intended to prioritize households and certain industries. “Obviously we preserve households and (…) we do not cut factories or public transport“, detailed Elisabeth Borne on Saturday. “We have to put ourselves in battle order now on the organization, load shedding, sobriety, reduction of consumption… it is now that we must make the decisions“, echoed the Minister of the Economy.

Distribute the effort

Thus certain industrial sites could be asked to “slow down their energy consumption, or even stop their energy consumption for a while“, explained Mr. Le Maire, while specifying that “it’s totally impossible” for some sites, so as not to “break the industrial tool“. Faced with the risk that Vladimir Putin will cut off the gas tap to Europe, “a credible option“said Bruno Le Maire in an interview with LCI on the sidelines of the Aix Meetings, we must”anticipate the consequences».

France, which claims to be in a more “favorablethan its neighbours, must in particular acquire a new floating LNG terminal next year to ensure its supply. “We must distribute the effort between administrations, individuals and companies“, explained Bruno Le Maire. The government has also launched three working groups to improve energy sobriety in the administration, businesses and establishments open to the public. The objective is to establish a roadmap to reduce energy consumption by 10% within two years compared to 2019. “It’s a matter of several months, but (it) must also lead us to make a number of investment decisions and show some imagination. France is extraordinarily imaginative, creative in terms of energy“, argued Bruno Le Maire on LCI.

The risk of energy shortages does not stop at the French borders, as the President of the European Commission called on the 27 Member States of the European Union on Wednesday to “prepare for further gas supply disruptions or even a complete Russian shutdown.Germany, otherwise more dependent on Russian gas than France, is already on the alert. The Bundestag has adopted a savings plan: more heating above 20 degrees in winter and more hot water in individual offices, for example.

SEE ALSO – Energy: the threat of a break in Russian supplies is “credible”, judge Élisabeth Borne

You may also like

Leave a Comment