Energized energy: overconsumption of winter

[gina]

Energized energy

The prolonged cold forces the energy companies to stay on the alert. In the first three months of the 2013 year, GDF Suez sold 7 terawatt hours (TWh) more than in an average winter. The equation is that the company delivers 1 TWh more at a rate of one degree below seasonal norms for ten days. "What's changing in 2013 is that the heating season is going on longer than usual," says GDF Suez. In 2012, the cold wave was real, but narrower. "

Fortunately for consumers, the reduction in regulated gas prices (1,5% since the beginning of the year) partially mitigates the bill while the volumes consumed by households have increased by 10,6% for the month of January alone. Sales of heating oil jumped by 18,3% in January.

Another notable fact: the current cold snap is a European phenomenon. Last week, Britain was afraid of running out of gas because of lack of stocks. And the Russian Gazprom, which supplies a quarter of the gas consumed on the Old Continent, revealed Thursday that its deliveries had reached a record level for a late March to 520 million cubic meters.

In France, Electricity Transmission System (RTE), in charge of high and very high voltage lines, also finds that winter is dragging on in length, but without major climatic events. Result: the peak consumption did not exceed 92.400 megawatts (MW) - during the second half of January - against more than 102.000 MW in 2012. The situation is therefore under control, especially since the company can rely on a good availability of the means of production, especially hydro whose dams have filled up in recent months.