The electricity transmission system operator, RTE, is calling on businesses and individuals to reduce their consumption this Monday, April 4, 2022, due to a drop in temperatures.
Due to the drop in temperatures, electricity consumption will be high this Monday, April 4, 2022, and could reach 73,000 MW by 9:00 a.m., announces the network operator RTE. The electricity production should be 65 000 MW, but France should be able to import up to 11 000 MW.
However, RTE does not envisage any power cuts on Monday morning, unless there are any unforeseen events this weekend. RTE will update its analyses on Sunday according to the most recent weather forecasts and the level of electricity production.
Limiting consumption
RTE asks companies and communities to moderate their consumption on Monday morning (especially between 07:00 and 10:00) and asks the French who can to postpone their electricity consumption to this weekend rather than Monday for the use of household appliances (such as dishwashers or washing machines).
At work or at home, everyone can take action by making simple gestures presented on the monecowatt.fr website, for example by lowering the temperature of their home when they are away during the day, or by completely switching off their appliances on standby, or even by limiting the number of lights on in a room, etc.
These gestures can have a real impact
For example, if everyone in France turns off a light bulb, it will save 600 MW of electricity, or about the consumption of a city like Toulouse.
Moreover, in the current energy context, any reduction in electricity consumption limits the use of gas-fired electricity generation. In fact, reductions in consumption lead to a reduction in the use of gas-fired power plants and contribute to saving gas stocks for the coming winter.
About RTE
RTE, the French electricity transmission system operator, has a public service mission: to guarantee the supply of electricity at all times and with the same quality of service throughout the country, thanks to the mobilization of its 9,500 employees. RTE manages electricity flows and the balance between production and consumption in real time. RTE maintains and develops the high and extra-high voltage network (from 63,000 to 400,000 volts), which includes more than 100,000 kilometers of overhead lines, more than 6,000 kilometers of underground lines, 2,800 electrical substations in operation or co-operation and 51 cross-border lines. The French network, which is the most extensive in Europe, is interconnected with 33 countries. As a neutral and independent industrial operator of the energy transition, RTE optimizes and transforms its network to connect electricity production facilities whatever the future energy choices. Through its expertise and reports, RTE informs the choices made by public authorities.
About Ecowatt
RTE – the French electricity transmission system operator – in partnership with ADEME has developed Ecowatt, a citizen’s system for managing the electricity system. A veritable electricity weather forecast, Ecowatt qualifies French consumption levels in real time, region by region. At each moment, clear signals guide consumers to adopt the right actions and know when to reduce their consumption to avoid blackouts: for example, during cold spells in winter.
Electricity production, Sunday April 3, 2022 (RTE)
Baisse des températures : RTE active le signal Orange national Ecowatt pour le lundi 4 avril 2022https://t.co/8IpA1HUCjC pic.twitter.com/21JGsL0rY3
— RTE (@rte_france) April 2, 2022