The Minister of Ecological Transition Barbara Pompili "asked EDF to take all relevant measures to strengthen security of supply in the short term, as well as to conduct an independent audit on industrial control and the optimization of reactor outages, in order to strengthen the availability of the French nuclear fleet in the medium term, "the ministry said in a press release.

"We have been mobilizing for several months - with a reinforcement since yesterday (Thursday) - all our resources and our collaborators to ensure the supply of electricity to our customers in the months of January and February 2022", reacted a spokesperson of EDF.

The group announced on Wednesday evening that it had decided to shut down the two nuclear reactors at Chooz (Ardennes) "as a precautionary measure", and to extend the shutdown of the two reactors at the Civaux (Vienna) plant, after the detection of faults near welds in the pipes of the safety injection circuit of the latter.

With these four reactors, the most powerful in the fleet, France will have a total of 16 out of 56 reactors this weekend.

Even before the revelation of these problems, the operator of the electricity network RTE predicted a winter under "particular vigilance" for France, which depends almost 70% on nuclear power to produce its electricity.

The health crisis has indeed shaken up the reactor maintenance schedule.

Barbara Pompili, who received EDF CEO Jean-Bernard Lévy on Friday, therefore asked him "to implement all relevant means to increase the availability of EDF production means".

The Chooz nuclear power plant in May 2017 FRANCOIS LO PRESTI AFP / Archives

RTE estimated on Friday that the security of supply was "well assured next week" and must update its forecasts for January towards the end of the year.

In addition to resorting to imports from neighboring countries, several levers can also be mobilized, from stopping the consumption of industrialists who are large consumers of electricity to a slight drop in voltage on the network.

EDF also indicated on Thursday that it had carried out "re-optimization of the nuclear shutdown schedule" and to be able also "to count on good availability of the hydraulic fleet".

- Factory shutdown -

The minister also "asked the company to conduct an independent audit on the industrial control of reactor outages", with a progress report expected before mid-March, the ministry said.

The government had already regretted the stopping of 30% of the French nuclear fleet at the end of November.

The Minister of Industry Agnès Pannier-Runacher had suggested to "raise our level of requirement for the availability of the park", believing that "we can collectively do better".

EDF's surprise decision to shut down additional reactors had other immediate consequences on electricity prices.

Already rising sharply for weeks, in the wake of gas prices carried by the global economic recovery, they reached new highs on Friday.

EDF CEO Jean-Bernard Lévy in March 2019 in Charleville-Mézières FRANCOIS NASCIMBENI AFP / Archives

Electricity prices for delivery next year in France were approaching 300 euros per megawatt hour on the wholesale market.

The bar of 100 euros in France was crossed for the first time in September and prices have continued to climb since.

If individuals and small businesses are protected by the limitation of the increase to 4% of the regulated tariff next year, decided by the government, manufacturers are worried despite other measures intended for them.

The Liaison Committee for Electricity Consuming Companies (CLEEE) thus called on "the public authorities to immediately suspend quotations on the futures markets and to urgently set up an administered price".

If not, manufacturers will have to decide to “stop production chains, or, when they can, relocate”.

This is already the case for the Nyrstar plant in Auby (Nord), the last to manufacture zinc in France with 300 employees: it will be shut down on January 2 for at least two months, the CGT announced on Friday. and management.

© 2021 AFP