Yanis Darras 5:17 p.m., December 04, 2022

In an interview with the JDD, the Minister for Energy Transition, Agnès Pannier-Runacher, underlines that Paris will not be immune to load shedding, if necessary.

But the minister confides that the objective is to maintain supply, calling on EDF to restart its nuclear power plants as quickly as possible.

Will Paris be affected by load shedding or not?

This is the question that haunts the inhabitants of the capital, but also the corridors of the ministries, as the temperatures begin to drop.

Officially, the capital will only be slightly affected, because only 17% of the city's electricity consumption is load shedding, compared to more than 60% in the other regions.

But, in an interview with the Journal du Dimanche (JDD) and published this Sunday, the Minister for Energy Transition Agnès Pannier-Runacher, warns: "no territory will be treated differently. Load shedding in Paris is possible". 

On the other hand, there is no question of cutting off critical sites.

"We will not turn off the hospitals, whether they are in Paris, Lens or Rodez", explains the minister, calling "to avoid falling into the demagogy of certain oppositions which feed on people's fears". 

Paris extinguished first? 

Clearly, no territory will escape the rotating cuts, if the option should arise this winter.

But, to set an example, the Paris region could be one of the first to experience a load shedding in the coming months, confides a source close to the executive to Europe 1. 

Objective: to show that the Paris region is not privileged compared to the provinces.

But the primary goal of the executive remains to avoid any power cut.

"With the Prime Minister, we have the responsibility to work on the most extreme scenarios. (...) But, load shedding is the last resort", specifies to the JDD, Agnès Pannier Runacher. 

To avoid this catastrophic scenario, the minister does not hesitate to put pressure on EDF.

The company is having difficulty restarting its nuclear reactors currently undergoing maintenance.

"EDF has an obligation of result. The company must do everything possible to produce the electricity we need under maximum safety conditions", she concludes.