France to turn off Eiffel Tower projectors earlier to save energy

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Le Journal du Dimanche
11 Sep 2022 12:51

In what has been labeled a symbolic move, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo will suggest turning down the Eiffel Tower's lighting earlier than normal.

Eiffel Tower Paris, France (Shutterstock)

As part of a bigger energy-saving program, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo will suggest turning down the Eiffel Tower's lighting earlier than normal, according to the French magazine Le Journal du Dimanche.

On Tuesday morning, Hidalgo is expected to announce a strategy to assist the French capital in reducing energy use amid the growing energy and buying power crisis.

One of the suggested methods is to turn off the 336 projectors that give the monument its distinctive golden glow at night 75 minutes sooner than normal. The tower will go black at 11:45 pm local time (19:45 GMT) after the last guests depart, according to the magazine.

According to Le Journal du Dimanche, this change is primarily symbolic.

Divided opinions

With the increase in demand for power, a number of nations have declared a desire to build nuclear infrastructure, including China, which already possesses the most reactors, the Czech Republic, India, and Poland since nuclear energy provides an alternative to coal.

Similar goals are shared by the United Kingdom, France, the Netherlands, and even the United States, where US President Joe Biden's investment plan promotes the growth of the sector.

Due to the possibility of catastrophic accidents and the ongoing debate over how to adequately dispose of radioactive waste, IPCC experts acknowledge that the use of nuclear energy "can be constrained by societal preferences."

Some countries, like New Zealand, oppose nuclear, and the issue has also been hotly debated in the European Union over whether it should be listed as "green" energy.