The Ministry of Energy Transition announced this Thursday, August 25, that it intended to relaunch and expand an offer similar to what generations of French EDF customers have known as tempo. This offer, which encourages lowering the heating on certain days to pass the winter peaks, was no longer actively offered to consumers.
The objective is to reduce the tension on the electricity supply, while the risk of shortage increases for this winter with the forced shutdown of many nuclear reactors, which is currently boosting wholesale electricity prices to unprecedented levels.
Reduce or cut consumption at certain times
The idea will be, for voluntary customers, to pay a very favorable annual rate, but in the event of a peak (20 to 30 “red” days per year), to reduce or even cut off their consumption. These individuals or SMEs would be notified the day before the peak, and if on D-day they consume, the rate will then be much higher than on other days.
To help and encourage electricity suppliers (EDF and others) to offer these so-called “tariff reduction” formulas, the State has planned a call for tenders with a budget of 30 million euros.
Industrialists who consume large amounts of electricity have known for years the system of “ diffuse erasure » : during a peak in electricity demand in the country, they agree to stop their production lines for a few minutes or a few hours, and are rewarded in exchange by contractual remuneration.
The SMEs first concerned
The government launches a call for tenders for this every year. He received this summer the promise of being able toi « effacer » 5 gigawatts (GW) of consumption in the event of an emergency, by industrialists but also by individuals.
To launch the new extended load shedding system, the Minister for Energy Transition has just written to electricity suppliers. “The government intends to strongly encourage behaviors that reduce consumption at the most tense times, helping to reduce the tensions on our electrical system as well as the costs,” writes Agnès Pannier-Runacher to them.
She will address “to consumers like flexible SMEs who can organize their consumption, or to residential consumers who have electric heating and a wood stove in the living room” the ministry added.
