Thirty swimming pools of the Vert Marine company have been closed since the beginning of the week, due to the increase in energy prices. No swimming pool is currently closed in the Marne and the Ardennes, but the question could arise, according to the president of Ardenne Métropole. Boris Ravignon ensures that the price of electricity has quadrupled. That of gas, by eight. “For the moment, we are holding on. But the situation is becoming really untenable”, he confides.
Also mayor of Charleville-Mézières, he explains that to deal with this price increase, energy renewal investments were realized. “For the ice rink, the change of the cold group has reduced our consumption by 40%”, he quotes in particular. Even if he believes that “communities are ready to invest in energy efficiency”, prices must stop rising.
No price increase for swimming pool users
Boris Ravignon does not wish to claim aid from the State. For him, the battle to be fought is elsewhere. He calls to reform the energy market. “Today, there is no objective reason why electricity should be sold to us at such a price. It is not its cost price. The superprofits do not appear by the operation of the Holy Spirit! They appear because we have selling prices on the market that are totally disconnected from the price of production. Let’s just go back to common sense!”, he throws.
In the meantime, we have to make do with these bills. But no question for the president of Ardenne Métropole to increase the price for users of swimming pools or ice rinks. “We have increased our prices according to inflation. But we do not want to make users bear all the increases, it would not make sense. The prices would become inaccessible for a very large number of families. The meaning of public service is that it be useful to the greatest number”, justifies Boris Ravignon.