Brittany and Paca power cut warning
Homes told to cut their evening energy use as France tries to deal with a shortage of supply during a cold spell
HOMES in Brittany and Paca are facing power cuts for the next few days as the electricity supply network struggles to cope with increased demand in the cold weather.
EDF’s distribution arm, RTE, is advising people in the two regions – which produce very little electricity of their own – to cut down their usage around the peak time of 19.00 to prevent the system falling over.
France this week looks set to break its record for the amount of power consumed in any one hour. The historical high was 92,400 megawatts on January 7 this year.
Electricity usage increases by about 2,100 megawatts for every 1°C that the temperature falls – and the forecast for the rest of the week says temperatures will be as much as 8°C colder than the December average.
RTE warned in November of the likelihood of winter power cuts in the event of a long and intense spell of cold weather.
This is because France is having to import large amounts of power from overseas this winter for the first time. Eight of the country’s 58 nuclear reactors are out of action after maintenance work due to take place in the spring was delayed by strikes.
