While France is facing its worst energy crisis since the 1970s – and the approach of winter is fueling concerns – the government intends to continue to limit its effects. During a press conference on Wednesday, September 14, the Prime Minister, Elisabeth Borne, announced the extension of the tariff shield in 2023, with a price increase contained at 15% for gas and electricity.
These price increases will come into effect in January for gas and in February for electricity. If they are higher than those experienced in 2022 – around 4% – Elisabeth Borne specified that their limitation would concern “all households, condominiums, social housing, small businesses and the smallest municipalities” and would be ” 15% instead of 120% »without tariff shield.
An energy check for 12 million households
Following this first announcement, the Prime Minister announced that the government had “decided on specific support to help the most modest”. Exceptional aid will be paid in the form of a new energy check ” by the end of the year “to “12 million of the most modest households, i.e. four out of ten households”.
« Its amount will be 100 or 200 [euros]by income”, she specified, like that of the energy check which had been paid during the winter of 2021, but which had only targeted 6 million households at the time. Elisabeth Borne, however, underlined at the beginning of her intervention “Everyone knows it, and it must be said: these measures have a cost for our public finances. »
Bruno Le Maire, the Minister of the Economy, who took the floor after him, specified the cost of these new measures: 16 billion euros for the extension of the tariff shield (including 11 billion euros for gas and 5 billion for electricity), and 1.8 billion euros for the energy check, already budgeted for the year 2022.
Elisabeth Borne recalled that the extension of the tariff shield, with a controlled price increase, will “lead to an average increase in bills of around 25 [euros] per month for households that heat with gas, instead of approximately 200 [euros] per month without a tariff shield, and an average increase of 20 euros per month for households that heat with electricity, instead of 180 euros per month without a tariff shield”.
Under the effect of the war in Ukraine, the flow of Russian gas to Europe has dried up, which raises fears of shortages during the winter and causes a surge in prices on the markets. However, it is gas prices that lead to electricity prices.
The sobriety plan presented at the beginning of October
During her speech, the head of government insisted on the fact that “in the most likely scenarios, if everyone takes their responsibilities and shows the necessary sobriety, there will be no cuts [pendant cet hiver]».
“Sobriety is not producing less. It is a question of reducing the heating a little and avoiding all unnecessary consumption,” she said, before adding: “There are therefore millions of individual decisions, every day, by each of us, which are essential for next winter to go well. »
The Minister responsible for energy transition, Agnès Pannier-Runacher, who spoke after her government colleagues, recalled that the energy sobriety plan, which aims to reduce energy consumption in France by 10% within two years, will be presented ” beginning of October ” and will be followed by a communication campaign from October 10, intended for the general public, called “Every gesture counts”.
This government update on the energy situation in France followed the presentation on Wednesday of forecasts by the operators of the electricity (RTE) and gas (GRTgaz) transmission networks. According to forecasts concerning the electricity network, energy savings and the Ecowatt warning system should make it possible to avoid load shedding. But the system is placed under “enhanced vigilance”an unprecedented level in France.
With regard to gas, France has filled its stocks well, it must be “capable of coping” to an average winter while helping neighboring countries with imported gas, GRTgaz pointed out. But she needs to start saving ” right now “ to be able to face a possible very cold winter, underlined the manager of the French gas network.