Reduced French energy consumption largely owing to mild weather, says govt

Energy saving measures by households and businesses accounted for only a small amount of a reduction in French electricity consumption in November, most of which was attributable to milder temperatures, the government said on Tuesday. "Adjusting for the same temperatures, we are seeing a 5% reduction in energy consumption." Veran said he was "optimistic" about December, but it was too early to give a forecast for January.

Energy saving measures by households and businesses accounted for only a small amount of a reduction in French electricity consumption in November, most of which was attributable to milder temperatures, the government said on Tuesday. Grappling with high inflation and an energy supply crisis caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine and deepened by outages at French nuclear reactors, the French government has adopted a plan to bringing down energy consumption, including a call for households to turn down the heating.

Such savings accounted for a third of a previously reported 15% reduction in electricity use in November, with the rest a result of mild temperatures, government spokesman Olivier Veran said on Tuesday. "Adjusting for the same temperatures, we are seeing a 5% reduction in energy consumption."

Veran said he was "optimistic" about December, but it was too early to give a forecast for January. Grid operator RTE this month flagged increasing risk to power supply in January.

The government wants France to reduce its overall energy consumption by 10% over the next two years based on voluntary measures rather than binding legislation.