The year 2022 seems distant, this catastrophic harvest for France, which had to import more electricity than it had exported for the first time in more than forty years. The country has now regained its position as Europe’s leading electricity exporter. An energy largely low in carbon and therefore effective against global warming, mainly thanks to nuclear and hydraulic energy.
Unless there is an unlikely change of situation, France is even preparing to break its own record in this area. Since the beginning of the year, despite marginal imports for maximum consumption, it has already exported a net balance of 78 terawatt hours (TWh); count communicated, Wednesday, November 13, by the French manager of the electrical transmission network, RTE. This is more than the annual record of 2002, which was around 77 TWh.
And again, the total is still expected to rise between now and December 31. According to the manager’s forecasts, and subject to weather conditions that may affect heating needs, or even wind production, it could end up with a net balance of around 85 TWh. This should be seen as proof that today “ French low carbon production […] is very competitive in the European markets and which, as soon as it is available, will be called “according to Thomas Veyrenc, general director responsible for economics, strategy and finance at RTE.
Voluntary or forced sobriety
On November 7, EDF presented an even higher projection: according to the nuclear park operator and the main national hydraulic operator, the country could register 90 TWh of net exports at the end of the year. Knowing that, throughout 2023, France produced around 495 TWh and exported 50.
How then can we explain the possible record for 2024? It is based on both growing production and relatively stagnant consumption compared to 2023. Despite its “bright side”export figures mean that “Electrification and therefore the decarbonization of uses is not advancing or making very little progress in the country”moderated by Mathias Laffont, deputy general delegate of the French Electrical Union.
Taking into account meteorological variations, annual consumption should end the year around 450 TWh, more or less like in 2023. This projection above all confirms a drop of around 6% compared to the average for the 2014-2019 period. , a trend that is also observed in “neighboring countries”underlines EDF. However, it is difficult to precisely gauge the reasons for such a decline. Because sobriety can be voluntary… or imposed, when energy prices skyrocket and become a deterrent. For industrial customers, it can be “a sign of a slowdown in the economic situation”says Christophe Bouneau, professor of economic history at Bordeaux-Montaigne University.
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