GRTgaz, the gas transport manager in France, launched this Thursday the “Ecogaz” system, a kind of “gas barometer” that will warn French consumers of possible tensions in the gas network, to encourage them to save gas, especially in case of severe cold.
When the signal is orange or red, the Ecogaz platform will send an alert by email or SMS to consumers who have registered on the myecogaz.com platform to warn them and encourage them to immediately reduce their consumption.
The device is close to the already launched to save electricity, Ecowatt, a kind of electrical weather forecast available in three color codes, green, orange and red.
SMS alert
Ecogaz, for its part, gives the evolution of the gas network for five days following a four-color code: green (normal consumption), yellow (slightly higher than normal), orange (much higher and/or voltage) and red. (risk of cuts).
The activation of the red signal opens the way to paid voluntary interruptions or load shedding (cuts) for large industrial customers. On the other hand, it saves individuals, since cuts are technically difficult to obtain for these clients.
The signal is updated daily taking into account, on the one hand, the consumption forecasts for the coming days and, on the other hand, the balance between gas inflows (by gas pipelines, LNG terminals, storage and production) and gas outflows on the net.
With the war in Ukraine, the depletion of Russian gas led Europe to rethink its entire gas supply to fill its winter reserves. These warehouses are already full in France, but it is necessary to save “from now on” to face a possible very cold winter, estimates GRTgaz.
tense situations
“If we have an average winter, we can meet the demand, but if it is very cold we may have to manage tense situations” in the second half of winter, when stocks are low, Thierry Found, general director of GRTgaz, explains to AFP.
Ecogaz will support the sobriety plan announced by the government to encourage people, communities and businesses to save energy, according to GRTgaz. It was designed with Ademe, the Ecological Transition Agency, and Terega, the transportation manager for the Southwest gas network.
More than sixty partners (companies, housing actors, communities, the media and energy providers) have signed the Ecogaz charter, committing themselves to transmit warning signs and reduce their own consumption.
Source: BFM TV
