Macron assures citizens over possible power cuts
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French President Emmanuel Macron tells his citizens not to panic if blackouts hit the country in the coming winter.
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French President Emmanuel Macron speaks during a campaign rally in Paris, France, April 2, 2022 (Reuters)
French President Emmanuel Macron called on the people of France not to panic about possible power cuts that could hit the country this winter as Europe undergoes an energy crunch, mainly due to the sanctions it imposed on Russia over the Ukraine war.
"I see a lot of concern about this, but don't panic! It is the government's responsibility to work out scenarios for dealing with any situation," Macron told the French newspaper Le Parisien when asked about the prospect of blackouts in France this winter.
The French president assured the newspaper and the citizens of his country, saying: "We will survive this winter", noting that if French citizens do their best and comply with the "energy sobriety plan", the worst-case scenario would be avoided.
Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne on Thursday also urged French citizens to use less energy to avoid power outages.
In early October, the French government launched an energy sobriety plan to face winter. The goal is to reduce France's energy consumption by 10% in two years and to ensure that the country spends the winter without gas or electricity shortages.
The plan implements various measures, such as limiting heating to a maximum of 19 degrees Celsius, turning off lighting after 10 pm, and encouraging remote work.
French media addressed last month the suffering of low-income individuals in France and their deprivation of heating, especially in popular housing in the city of Amiens, where the temperature reaches 12 degrees Celsius inside homes, despite people having paid energy subscriptions.
French channel BFMTV spoke to one of the residents of Amiens, Natalie, who revealed that she had been using cooking gas for heating.
Natalie pointed out that the reason was the delay in rehabilitation work in her low-income home in Amiens, saying that she "has not had heating in her house for two months while the temperature reaches 12 degrees in her apartment."
Many French cities suffer from a decrease in local heating, while analysts said that this comes as a result of France's foreign policy stances toward Russia.
Italy and Germany are now the two largest European economies most exposed to a gas supply shock due to their extensive use of natural gas and significant reliance on Russia, according to S&P Global Ratings.
Germany, for one, is mulling cutting energy supplies for hospitals in a bid to save up on energy, potentially jeopardizing the healthcare sector.
Spain said it would be cutting energy exports to France to try and keep its stockpiles due to the difficulty of refilling them once they are empty.
France, in the meantime, has discussed the prospect of turning the power off for the Eiffel Tower earlier than usual to save energy as well.
Read more: Macron calls out US for double standards on gas prices to EU
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."
