Agnes Pannier-Runacher, Minister for Energy Transition, was the guest of “8:30 a.m. franceinfo”, Monday 26 May 2023. TotalEnergies, ISF vert, sobriety and EDF… She answers questions from Lorrain Sénéchal and Neïla Latrous.
Renewable energies: TotalEnergies “can go faster, stronger, faster, it must go all out”
TotalEnergies “can go faster, stronger, faster, it must put the package on renewable energies”declares Agnès Pannier-Runacher, while the group is holding its General Assembly on Friday, May 26 in Paris. “It is an absolutely essential question for the planet and a question of survival of the company”she adds.
A few hundred climate defenders are demonstrating this Friday in front of the Salle Pleyel in Paris where the General Assembly of the TotalEnergies group is taking place. “We can put pressure on Total, but I’m not sure that the debate in the street brings much.” On the other hand, these actions pose “a very good question” on renewable energies. Those companies that work in the oil or gas sector “must reinvent themselves”, by moving away from fossil fuels, in accordance with IPCC recommendations. These companies, such as TotalEnergies, “will have no future, if they are not able to trace these trajectories of exit from fossil fuels and decarbonization”. She claims to have spoken to Patrick Pouyanné, CEO of TotalEnergies.
ISF ecological: “I prefer a France champion of jobs rather than a France champion of taxes”
“I prefer a France which is champion of jobs, rather than a France which is champion of taxes”assures Agnès Pannier-Runacher in reaction to the proposal of the economist Jean Pisani-Ferry who recommends the creation of a new tax for the richest in order to finance the ecological transition. “We are the country that taxes the highest, almost in the world, high incomes”adds Agnès Pannier-Runacher. “Before rushing, because it’s the easy effect, I prefer that France massively redirects its tax support towards decarbonization.”
In his report, Jean Pisani-Ferry estimates that the energy transition will cost an additional 66 billion euros per year. “Behind this transition, there are economic opportunities. The revival of nuclear power means 100,000 recruitments that we will make in the next ten years. There are efforts that we will have to make, but they are in the process. short term. But there are also all the opportunities for job creation, for the reindustrialisation of our country that we must put into perspective.”
Sobriety: “We must go further”
“We have to go further, move from a sobriety that we build in the short term to a sobriety that is anchored in the long term”judge Agnès Pannier-Runacher who launched Tuesday, May 23 seven working groups bringing together elected officials, experts, and professional federations, to work on the future energy strategy of France that the government will present in the fall. “We did in three months what we hadn’t done in 30 years. We started with the most immediate, with the drop in temperatures and the reduction in lighting.”
Since the beginning of the year, the decline in energy consumption “continues compared to recent years.” “I am going to launch a 2nd phase of the sobriety plan which is one of the 4 levers of our energy strategy to achieve carbon neutrality. We will have an appointment next winter to go further than what we have done” especially on “digital and fuel”because “we have to speed up” to have fewer people on the roads, says the Minister for Energy Transition.
“EDF must be our energy arm”
“A company which is 100% state-owned and which is its strategic armed arm, in the end, it is the state that pays”says Agnès Pannier-Runacher, while the government is working to “fit” France’s energy system “to global warming. There are nuclear power plants, the network, offshore wind power”lists Agnès Pannier-Runacher.
The State will control 100% of EDF on June 8 following the renationalization of the energy company, the Minister of the Economy announced on Tuesday May 23. “Being the main shareholder” this allows to “to give a sense of strategy and to have a long-term strategy. It is the strategist State at the head of an EDF that must be our energy armed wing.” France has an interest “to develop competitive production capacities as quickly as possible” to prevent the price of electricity from being too high.
To avoid oil and gas shortages next winter, Agnès Pannier-Runacher “since January, has been preparing with the French energy companies to spend the next winter. We must strengthen our resilience in relation to the consumption of fossil fuels.” That means “fill up gas supplies and keep working on sobriety.” To avoid any problem, “we must not let our guard down.” For its part, EDF indicated “to be in a better position in terms of nuclear electricity production next winter. Our gas storage is higher than last winter. These are positive signals.”
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Find the entire “8:30 franceinfo” of Friday, May 26, 2023: