The health crisis linked to Covid-19 could have impacts on the electricity supply next winter.
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In the event of "big cold waves", "very short cuts" of electricity could take place this winter, warned the Minister of Ecological Transition, Barbara Pompili, on Thursday, assuring however that there will be no generalized failure.
“If we have times of big cold waves, we will have to regulate.
Regulating means working with industries so that they can stop their production at certain times (…) These are contracts that we have with companies, with large producers ”, said Barbara. Pompili on BFMTV.
Barbara Pompili does not rule out "cuts" of electricity in the event of "big cold waves" pic.twitter.com/huxgbfbW8I
- BFMTV (@BFMTV) November 19, 2020
The confinement at the origin of these cuts
"In the extreme, we can consider very short cuts", she added, ensuring that "there will be no blackout".
In particular: the Covid-19 pandemic which upset the maintenance schedule for nuclear reactors in the spring.
"Usually in summer or spring we shut down nuclear power plants for maintenance, to refuel, all those things that we could not do correctly during containment," said the minister.
"Today, we have a problem with that and as we have 70% of our electricity which is linked to nuclear power, when we have a problem with nuclear power, behind it we have to manage," she continued.
“We managed, we worked with EDF to reschedule power plant shutdowns to be able to adapt to demand, but today if there is a degree of decrease in electricity, it is the equivalent of production of two nuclear reactors, ”said Barbara Pompili.
The RTE network manager is due to take stock this Thursday on the electricity supply for the winter of 2020-2021, but he has already warned for a long time that “vigilance” would be required.
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