Paris has decided to turn off the flashing lightshow of the Eiffel Tower an hour earlier than usual as it tries to reduce its energy consumption.
The lighting at other monuments is also being dimmed at 10 pm by the mayor. In public buildings and swimming pools, the thermostat is being reduced.
The arrival of autumn in Paris is signalled by a cold snap. This has prompted concern among politicians and energy suppliers. Experts believe that this winter could be more troublesome for Paris than Berlin.
Xavier Barbaro is the chief executive of Neoen, France’s largest independent producer of renewable energy. He is worried about the increasing risk of shortages.
He says, “It’s possible and no one would think that a few years ago or even a couple of months ago.”
“Blackouts used to be a common occurrence in the past. It can happen again.
“We’ve heard for decades that nuclear power was a blessing for the country, and it may be a curse in the end.”
France placed all its eggs in the nuclear pot, but technical issues are currently frequently reducing capacity at its ageing plants.
While President Emmanuel Macron ordered new reactors as part of a nuclear “renaissance”, decades’ worth of inaction is coming back at the country.
Macron’s government, like Liz Truss, has staked their reputation on his country avoiding blackouts which would undoubtedly have serious political consequences this winter. The President is less certain than his industry bosses.
Adrien Jeantet is the director of energy services at Enercoop. This French utility company uses only renewable energy. “We’ve been taught for ages that nuke power is safe and secure,” he said.
We now see it is not reliable. It’s crucial that we get it because of gas shortages. But it suddenly isn’t there. “Half of the reactors have been shut down.”
One might think that France would be protected from the worst European gas crisis, with nuclear power accounting to 70% of its electricity. However, half of France’s nuclear fleet is out of service and strikes are making repairs slow. This leaves its supplies vulnerable to the worst.
Macron stated earlier this month that 26 out of 56 French nuclear reactors are not currently operating due to maintenance and stress corrosion issues. The energy source’s output has plunged to a 30-year low. Ministers demanded that EDF (the partially state-owned energy giant Macron is fully nationalizing) bring them back online in the winter.
Macron claimed that 10 additional reactors will be online in the next weeks, but the industry acknowledges that this deadline is tight as rolling strikes could delay the work. Unions claim 20 reactors are currently in danger from walkouts. RTE, the power grid operator, warned that prolonged industrial action could lead to delays in the restart of plants and “heavy consequences” on the power supply.
Barbara Pompili has been Macron’s minister responsible for the energy transition for two years and says that nuclear power is almost a religion in France.
She also stated that the widespread belief in the “magic” of renewable energy has led to underinvestment in future-oriented renewables.
She says, “What I am concerned about is the long-term strategic thinking.”
“Maybe we were too optimistic about nuclear power and underestimated the importance of renewables. Too many people believed that investing in renewables was bad news for nuclear power.
It’s completely insane. This is how we lost so much time in thinking… It’s very difficult to have a serious rational discussion in France about the energy issue.”
France has become an importer rather than Europe’s largest net exporter of energy due to these problems. An emergency alert was sent to Spain and the UK last month, urging them to ensure that France has enough energy to meet its needs after a trading mistake. This was a worrying sign not only for France but also for its neighbours who often import electricity from France when their own resources are low.
According to the industry, France is only one cold winter away from real problems.
Valerie Faudon of the nuclear trade organization SFEN says that there are many uncertainties. First, the weather. We have a very cold winter.
“The second is when it is cold and there isn’t wind that day. Another is what our neighbours can provide because sometimes, in winter, at peak times, like 7 pm, we have to resort to imports… all European countries have the same problems.”
France would be vulnerable if the nuclear industry is not at its full capacity, households turn up the thermostat during cold weather and neighbours have little power.
When power demand rises above neighbours’, the country heavily depends on electric heaters to heat its homes in winter.
According to data from the International Energy Agency, France’s electricity demand rose over Germany’s during the winter of 2021-22. It remained there until February. This is despite France having fifth fewer people and a 30 percent smaller economy.
Jeantet at Enercoop explains: “In winter evenings, when everyone returns from work and turns on their heater, there’s a big peak, and this is the most hazardous moment.”
The French government, unlike the UK, is trying to reduce consumption by 10% over the next two years using an “energy sobriety” plan.
Remote working is encouraged and government offices are reducing the heat. Companies are being asked for a reduction in their heating usage. Households will receive cash bonuses if they reduce their consumption. Macron even wore a polo-neck sweater as a sign of his desire to keep warm in cooler offices.
French consumers are protected from rising prices by a limit on the amount they can charge for their bills. EDF is currently suing the government. This may impede any effort to reduce household consumption, according to some industry leaders.
EDF spokesperson says that the problem is stress corrosion in the fleet. It has been the worst year that we can imagine, and we are very concerned.
Although they say “this winter will prove difficult”, the company still wants most reactors to be available by December 1.
He said, “It’s clearly very dependent upon the temperature because there is a lot of electric heating in France.”
“We expect maybe a percent less consumption than normal winter, but not much.
“We will do everything we can to generate the electricity that we need.”
Flamanville 3 is a French nuclear reactor currently under construction, located on France’s Normandy coast, just 30 miles east of Guernsey.
EDF hopes to produce electricity from the next-generation reactor located on the granite clifftop next year, but it is currently a decade late and runs billions of euros over budget.
Macron declared that 14 new reactors would be built by 2050 in the wake of Europe’s energy crisis. This is a move he hopes to lead to a nuclear “renaissance”. Flamanville 3’s delays can be attributed to the loss of skills within the industry due to a shortage of new reactors in recent years – an issue that is resolvable in the long term but cannot be fixed this winter.
Xavier Ursat is the EDF senior executive director for engineering and new nuclear project development. He says France must also build renewable energy.
He says, “The one thing we can learn from this story is that we need margins for the electrical systems.”
“Obviously, we must develop renewable onshore/offshore solar farms, and we also need to make the fleet last longer and add new reactors to the grid.
“What is certain is that 2050’s electricity consumption will be higher than it is now. We need low-carbon electricity to decarbonize our economy.”
The battle for France’s energy future is well underway. Marine Le Pen, the leader of the far-right National Rally party, demanded that France shift to a more nuclear-reliant system during her defeat in the presidential election earlier this year.
Jean-Philippe Tanguy is a French member of the National Rally parliament and one of Le Pen’s energy specialists. He said: “There are nations that have the chance and the privilege to master nuclear energy.
“[For countries that cannot have nuclear energy… wind or solar energy are the best options for climate transition. France made the wrong choice, as our electricity and energy were already decarbonised.
He claims that the current problems are due to a lack of investment.
Many in the energy sector want to diversify their energy sources, and for politicians not to put up with nimbyism.
Barbaro at Neoen, who missed several renewable targets in France, is hopeful of catching up in the next few years after efforts to streamline approval processes. He believes France can avoid blackouts but regrets the absence of a green energy drive.
He says, “I really regret that the public awareness isn’t where it should be” in comparison to the UK and Germany.
Even if it was only 60pc renewables it would still work well given our country’s features. It’s a shame we don’t leverage this more. It could work: Solar, wind, hydro, and biomass could be really 50/60/70pc without increasing costs.
France relies on France to bring the reactors online without any delays. It also needs a mild winter and maybe a little assistance from its neighbours.
Macron is making efforts to secure France’s energy security in the future but could face decades of neglect if there are shortages.
It seems that the die has been cast for this winter, at least, when the Eiffel Tower goes black.
