With 24 million viewers watching TF1 on Sunday afternoon, the 2022 World Cup final between France and Argentina set an all-time viewership record. This enthusiasm for the Blues translated into a drop in electricity consumption even “greater than in the semifinals, with a drop in consumption of up to 3 GW at the start of the match, that is, the equivalent of 3 nuclear reactors”, observes RTE , the network administrator, Monday.
Already during the semifinal against Morocco, the analysis of electricity consumption made it possible to affirm that the French had met “in front of the television to watch the game with little use of other electrical uses,” says RTE.
A movement that, therefore, was accentuated during the final although “these figures are (…) to be put into perspective with an increase in temperatures (around +6°C during the day) and a different time range” ( start of the game at 4:00 p.m., against 8:00 p.m. for the semifinal), explains the person in charge of the network.
Increased consumption at halftime
At halftime of the match against Argentina, consumption increased by around 1GW. “This is especially explained by the resumption of other activities and the switching on of the lights at nightfall,” adds RTE, which also notes “a slight increase” in consumption “between the second half and extra time followed by the penalty shootout ”.
It was finally at the end of the game when the coach observed a significant recovery in consumption “of the order of 2GW, which returns the consumption curve to its usual level.” So many variations that could be managed by the mobilized “RTE dispatchers” and therefore did not pose “a risk to the security of the electricity supply.”
Source: BFM TV
