Electricity: the RTE network manager plans a winter under “vigilance” – Franceinfo

The RTE electricity network manager foresees a winter under “particular vigilance” in terms of supply security. RTE is initially counting, until the end of the year, on a “relatively low voltage risk”, but advocates more caution for January and February, the period most exposed to cold snaps, explains the group in a published note Monday 22 November. He is particularly worried about the effects of the health crisis on the maintenance schedule of the nuclear fleet, he said.

However, a new monthly diagnostic system for security of supply will refine these forecasts and RTE is already announcing two updates which “will refer”, for the first two months of the year 2022. They are expected “end of December or beginning of January” then “at the end of January”, specified Thomas Veyrenc, strategy and prospective director of RTE, during a press conference.

“The further away we move towards January-February, the more we begin to have uncertainty about a certain number of parameters which are now very important: temperature, wind but also the availability of our production fleet, and in particular of the nuclear park. “

Thomas Veyrenc, Strategy and Foresight Director of RTE

during a press conference

This will allow RTE to better understand the supply / demand balance, with a more precise schedule for reactor outages linked to maintenance, and with more reliable weather forecasts on temperature and wind conditions.