France is better equipped to face winter 2023 on condition of “maintaining sobriety”

France is better equipped to face winter, estimated gas transmission network managers GRTgaz and Teréga on Monday October 9. “This year, the French network has the capacity to ensure the necessary supplies to fuel consumption and exports, including in the event of a cold winter”estimate the two main managers in their “prospects of the French gas system for winter 2023-2024”.

But as France prepares for a second winter without being able to count on Russian gas pipelines, caution remains in order. “The safety margin remains low in the event of a cold peak in the second part of winter”, however, warn GRTgaz and Teréga. According to them, “situations of one-off deficits could appear if storage was overused at the start of winter in particular”.

The stocks contain the equivalent of a third of the annual gas consumption in France. To maintain balance, several conditions are required: “sustained LNG imports, prudent storage management as well as maintaining sobriety at levels similar to those observed last winter”, list the managers. Thanks to these measures, France reduced its gas consumption by 14.3% between August 1, 2022 and July 31, 2023 compared to the same period in 2018-2019.