In recent days, RTE (Red de Transmisión Eléctrica) announced two news to the French. The good news is that everything will be fine until the end of 2022. The bad news is that cuts are expected from January.
If the risk of a “blackout” that would plunge France into darkness is ruled out, we can expect targeted cuts at certain times and in certain regions in early 2023. According to RTE, they should take place at peak times, in the morning between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. and in the afternoon between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m.
This situation is due to two factors. On the one hand, a winter that will probably harden from January on. In the most pessimistic scenario, temperatures could approach those France experienced 10 years ago.
In 2012, thermometers showed values as low as -20°C in some regions. It was the strongest cold wave of the 21st century. Snowfall and freezing rain had caused traffic disruptions on highways, the rail network, and air traffic.
An inter-ministerial unit to manage the crisis
On the other hand, France will not have enough energy to cope with sharp drops in temperature. At issue, a slower-than-expected restart of EDF’s nuclear reactors. According to forecasts published by RTE, the company should be able to supply 40 gigawatts (GW), or 65% of installed nuclear capacity.
This crisis situation is managed by an inter-ministerial cell, chaired by Aurélien Rousseau, director of the Prime Minister’s cabinet, and in which officials from RTE and Enedis participate. This team assesses the social and economic consequences of “spinning load disconnect,” the name given to selective outages.
According to information from World, hospitals and prisons will be excluded from this emergency system. For the communication networks managed by the data centers, the crisis unit determines how to provision them to preserve emergency calls. The decrees of the prefectures will distribute the list of infrastructures and areas affected by the cuts.
smartphone alerts
The authorities also rely on the Ecowatt alert system created two years ago by RTE and ADEME. A red alert signal will warn of unavoidable cuts if consumption does not drop after the alert is issued. A site has been created to provide real-time alerts of the situation.
After registering your phone number or email address, EcoWatt will prevent the risk of outages and will indicate the most effective eco-costs and when to apply them. To date, 350,000 French people have signed up for this electricity “weather service”, or 50,000 more people for a month.
An EcoWatt app developed by RTE is also available from the Apple Store and the Google Play Store. By downloading it, notifications will be sent directly to your smartphone.
It will be difficult not to be informed of a deterioration of the situation. In addition to these services, alerts will be launched on television channels and radio stations to warn the population if Ecowatt turns red.
Source: BFM TV
