France is going (a little) without power. The consumption ofelectricity fell 6.7% last week compared to the average for previous years (2014-2019), a “downward effect” that has continued since the beginning of October, according to data published overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday by RTE.
This decrease is more substantial than the previous week (-5.8%). “Over the last 4 weeks, electricity consumption in France at normal temperature has shown a structural decrease (-6.4%) compared to previous years (2014-2019)” over the same period, indicates the network manager of transmission of electricity.
A context of rising energy prices
Once again, this weekly decrease is “largely concentrated in the industrial sector, in a context of rising energy price “, he underlines. “The downward effect in the residential and tertiary sector exists but has been reduced, and more difficult to characterize finely in recent weeks”, due to school holidays and public holidays.
“With the exception of a few isolated days in November, the temperatures have remained well above normal (seasonal) for more than a month”, reducing the need for electricity for heating, particularly in private homes, further notes RTE.
A government sobriety plan
In a context of energy crisis, the network operator has set up weekly monitoring of electricity consumption in mainland France. The published data was “aligned with normal temperatures for the period” and is independent of the exceptionally mild values recorded in France in October and November.
The government’s sobriety plan, presented on October 6, provides for a reduction in energy consumption of 10% over the next two years in France compared to 2019, and 40% by 2050.