Europe 1 with AFP 4:55 p.m., October 11, 2022

Nearly 100 large French companies have joined the Ecowatt system, committing them to be "exemplary" during the winter by reducing their electricity consumption and informing their customers in the event of tensions on the network, the transmission network manager announced on Tuesday. electricity RTE.

The electricity transmission network operator RTE announced on Tuesday that nearly 100 large French companies have joined the Ecowatt system.

This commits them to be "exemplary" during the winter by reducing their electricity consumption and informing their customers in the event of tension on the network.

"I believe in the power of example, and as such, you are very valuable in your ability to get all companies on board", declared RTE President Xavier Piechaczyk, before the leaders of 90 large signatory companies, gathered at the RTE headquarters located in Paris La Défense.

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Relaying Ecowatt's warning signals

These companies in the housing, transport, media, as well as heavy industry, agri-food, and mass distribution, undertake to relay the warning signals of the Ecowatt platform, and to reduce their own consumption. in the event of tensions on the electricity network this winter.

This tool, designed as an "energy weather report" and set up by RTE with Ademe, allows users to see in real time the level of electricity available in the country thanks to a three-color signal: green (normal), orange (tense), and red (very tense).

In red, the signal is synonymous with inevitable cuts if nothing is done to lower or shift consumption.

These small gestures that large companies undertake to respect

"By reducing your consumption, you will allow SMEs to continue their activities, without load shedding", underlined for his part, in front of the big bosses, the Minister of the Economy Bruno Le Maire.

These companies have signed this charter in addition to savings actions that they can adopt, in line with the sobriety plan announced last week by the government.

Among them are EDF, Air France, La Poste, Nexity, Engie, TotalEnergies, Carrefour, Maif, Castorama...

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For example, La Poste is committed to reducing the temperature of its sorting centers by 17 to 16 degrees.

RATP will postpone the electrical charge of its buses outside the morning and evening hours when the demand for electricity consumption is greatest in winter.

"We want to be part of the solution," Anne-Sophie Sancerre, general manager for Southern Europe of Unibail-Rodamco-Westfied, operator of shopping centers, busy places where Ecowatt messages will be relayed, told AFP. with visitors.

An important media device associating the groups France Télévisions, TF1, Radio France or Altice will inform the general public in the event of a risk of a cut and by mentioning, for example, the color of the Ecowatt signal in the weather forecasts.