Maud Descamps 6:35 am, January 05, 2022

As energy prices continue to soar in European markets, the government is expected to announce a move in favor of households and businesses in the coming days.

An increase in the quantity of energy that can be purchased at a fixed price by companies from EDF is under study.

More must be done.

This is in a nutshell the message sent by the Minister of the Economy Bruno Le Maire to continue to fight against the rise in electricity prices, which have increased by 40% over the last 12 months.

Last November, Prime Minister Jean Castex announced the freezing of the increase in electricity prices at 4%.

But faced with this surge in prices, the government is preparing to take additional measures.

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The most likely option would be to review the Arenh mechanism (Regulated access to historic nuclear electricity), a device that allows companies to purchase part of their electricity at a fixed rate from EDF: 42 euros per megawatt hour, but in a limited quantity.

Companies must therefore supplement by purchasing electricity on the European market.

But prices have broken records there in recent weeks.

"Today it is not the European Commission that is blocking"

Bercy is therefore in negotiations with the European Commission to increase the quantity of electricity sold at a fixed price, which would make it possible to contain the rise in the bill. "But today it is not the European Commission which is blocking" confides a framework working on the file. Understand that it is more on EDF's side that there is reluctance to sell more electricity at low prices. Moreover, EDF CEO Jean-Bernard Levy does not hide his hatred of the Arenh system, which he describes as "poison".

The position of the CEO is noticeably annoying on the side of the executive where it is recalled that the State has notably secured the future of the nuclear industry with the order of new power plants.

It is therefore EDF's turn to make efforts, one suggests in the entourage of a minister.

"It is time for EDF to think in terms of general interest" we whisper.