Bakers, restaurateurs and other artisans were calling for it more and more strongly: the French government announced on Friday a guaranteed electricity tariff in 2023, expensive compared to historical prices but well below the peaks seen in recent months. This shield was announced after three hours of meeting with EDF, Engie or TotalEnergies in particular.
• The amount of the shield
The Government has decided that no TPE will pay more than 280 euros per megawatt hour on average this year, forcing the hand of electricity traders. This corrective measure only affects companies that renewed their contract between July 1 and December 31. The rate review covers the year 2023, with no retroactive effect on 2022 invoices.
The guaranteed average rate for 2023 is in line with a reference price published by the Energy Regulation Commission (CRE). It is comparable with the wholesale prices of the French electricity market: on Friday delivery contracts in one year were being negotiated at around 225 euros per megawatt hour. These are only electricity supply contracts, while gas contracts are subject to already existing aid mechanisms (regulated tariff, help window, etc.).
• How to benefit from it?
To benefit from the guaranteed rate, entrepreneurs must obtain a form from the tax website or from their electricity provider, and check two boxes indicating, on the one hand, that they actually have a very small business (less than 10 employees and less than two million euros in turnover) and on the other hand who wish to benefit from this aid open until December 31, 2023.
• What companies are affected?
Some 600,000 very small companies (TPE) that consume a lot of electricity, because they heat or cool a lot, cannot subscribe to the regulated rate, capped by the State within the framework of the “tariff shield” since the winter of 2021-22.
There are already aids for these artisans who consume a lot of electricity but only cover part of the price increases or sometimes have the defect of needing the help of an accountant to request them.
• How this new tariff shield will be financed.
It remains to be seen how this new tariff shield will be financed. At this stage, the scope of the commercial gesture of the suppliers is not quantified, but the State will grant them compensation.
The discussions promise to be tense with the suppliers. Prior to the announcement of this tariff, TotalEnergie said it was ready for “tariff reviews” and proposed bringing electricity supply contracts to the VSEs “at an annual average price of 320 euros excluding taxes per MWh, after taking into account” the existing government aid.
• The reactions of professionals
If the measure has been well received by professionals, it does not escape criticism from those who do not find it sufficient.
Jean-Eudes du Mesnil, “we would have liked all SMEs to be able to benefit from this cap rate”. According to him, the risk is that competition is distorted between large VSEs and small SMEs that carry out the same activity.
As for Thierry Marx, president of the main union of the hotel and restaurant industry, Umih, “this progress does not take into account all our establishments.” “We ask that all our restaurants and all our hotels be able to benefit from this regulated rate,” he wrote in an open letter to Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire published late Friday.
Source: BFM TV
