One of the so-called “green” gas and electricity suppliers is from Toulouse and is called Ilek. The company, founded in 2016, passed the milestone of 130,000 customers in 2021. Green electricity means coming from wind power, hydraulic dams or solar power. Ilek buys electricity produced by Aude wind turbines along the A61 towards Narbonne for example. And for gas, this is biomethane produced either by farms in Brittany or the East, or by community waste. Ilek is thus one of the customers of the City of Perpignan.
Rémy Companyo, co-founder of this young Toulouse company, sheds light on the vagaries of gas and electricity bills in recent months, and the consequences that the Russian-Ukrainian conflict could have.
Why does Emmanuel Macron say that next winter will be difficult?
Energy is traded on a European scale, Europe buys gas from Russia. The assumption of a supply stop creates a phenomenon where the price increases significantly. I don’t have a crystal ball, I don’t know how this price will evolve. On the other hand, this enthusiasm could quite be calmed by announcements in the coming months which would be positive, it is possible.
How much have the prices per cubic meter and kilowatt hour increased?
In one year, they have been multiplied by approximately six. Please note, I repeat, there is strong volatility in the market. We are not immune to these prices falling again, they will not return to the levels of a year ago, but they could fall again. It should also be remembered that European countries have taken action to protect residential consumers, such as the tariff shield for electricity in France on the indexed tariff. The increase in electricity tariffs is blocked until January 2023.
If we have to do without Russian gas, how do we do it?
Two alternatives: consume less and find other sources and suppliers such as Algerian gas. We can also talk about local initiatives like what we are doing, the production of renewable gas. But we can’t increase volumes overnight, it’s a medium-term response.