Europe 1 with AFP 5:04 p.m., October 20, 2022
Launched this Thursday by GRTgaz, the "Ecogaz" device will warn French consumers of possible tensions on the gas network, to encourage them to save gas, especially in the event of extreme cold.
When the signal is orange or red, the Ecogaz platform will send an alert by email or SMS to consumers registered on a platform.
GRTgaz, the gas transport manager in France, launched the "Ecogaz" system on Thursday, a kind of "gas barometer" which will warn French consumers of possible tensions on the gas network, to encourage them to save gas, especially in case of extreme cold.
When the signal is orange or red, the Ecogaz platform will send an alert by email or SMS to consumers who have registered on the myecogaz.com platform to warn them and encourage them to immediately reduce their consumption.
The device is close to the one already launched to save electricity, Ecowatt, a kind of electricity weather forecast available in three color codes, green, orange, and red.
A four color code
Ecogaz, on the other hand, gives the trend of the gas network over five days by following a four-colour code: green (normal consumption), yellow (slightly higher than normal), orange (very higher and/or tension) and red (risks of cuts).
The activation of the red signal opens the way to paid voluntary interruptions or load shedding (cuts) for large industrial customers.
On the other hand, it spares individuals, the cuts being technically difficult to achieve for these customers.
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The signal is updated daily taking into account, on the one hand, consumption forecasts for the next few days and, on the other hand, the balance between inputs (via gas pipelines, LNG terminals, storage and biomethane production) and gas outlets on the network.
Save for a possible very cold winter
With the war in Ukraine, the drying up of Russian gas led Europe to rethink its entire gas supply to fill its winter stocks.
These storages are now full in France, but it is necessary to save "from now" to face a possible very cold winter, estimates GRTgaz.
"If we have an average winter, we are able to meet demand, but if it is very cold we may have to manage tense situations" in the second half of winter, when stocks drop, explains to AFP Thierry Found, CEO of GRTgaz.
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Ecogaz will support the sobriety plan announced by the government to encourage individuals, communities and businesses to save energy, according to GRTgaz.
It was designed with Ademe, the Ecological Transition Agency, and Terega, transport manager of the gas network in the southwest.
More than sixty partners (companies, housing players, communities, media and energy suppliers) have signed the Ecogaz charter, committing to relaying warning signs and reducing their own consumption.