Sign of the gravity of the situation, or in any case of the will of the executive to dramatize it: Emmanuel Macron applies the model of the Defense Council to the energy crisis, for the very first time. There is no question of bringing the ministers together at PC Jupiter, in the Elysée bunker, but with graphics and curves, the objective is to take stock of supplies and the state of gas and electricity stocks. This is “a vital issue for the country in view of winter”according to the presidency, in a context of great tension: since yesterday, the Russian giant Gazprom has stopped its deliveries to the Engie group.
Tensions also on the electricity side: only 24 of EDF’s 56 nuclear reactors are operating at the moment. “The French must understand it”, claims a close friend of the president. And for that, symbols are very important. This Defense Council, which is required to meet regularly and could be followed by press briefings, is the high point of a sequence that began with Emmanuel Macron’s short sentence on “the end of abundance”agrees an adviser to the executive.
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Anxiogenic speech, martial tone and secret deliberations… “As with Covid-19 and the war in Ukraine, Macron sublimates himself during crises”, seems to rejoice one of his supporters. What makes especially say to the oppositions, that this Council of defense concerns rather the crisis of authority and the political gadget.
France normally has what it takes to cope with a classic winter, but the situation could become complicated in the event of extreme cold peaks. The watchword is therefore to prepare for all scenarios, to avoid a blackout, and to adjust political decisions accordingly.
First stage: these repeated calls for sobriety for everyone to be a little more careful to turn off the wifi and turn down the heating. Second step: on a case-by-case basis, power cuts for the companies that consume the most. Third type of decision: a general drop in voltage across the entire network, this time with consequences for everyone. Wifi less efficient, light a little weaker and cell phones that would take a little longer to recharge.
Finally, the last level: rationing. Formula used by Elisabeth Borne, the Prime Minister, before the Medef. No gas cuts for households, but possibly power cuts with neighborhoods plunged into darkness for a few hours.