Several aquatic establishments indicated on Monday that they were forced to close their doors due to rising energy costs. It was first with the sudden closure of the Nemausa swimming pool in Nîmes this Monday, September 5, then to all the establishments managed by the company Vert Marine that the news fell: energy prices are now forcing the company to close many aquatic centers in France. Vert Marine, which manages the delegation of several dozen establishments in France, indicates that it can no longer cope with the increase in energy costs in order to keep its 90 aquatic centers afloat. In a press release, the company explains that “the rising costs that we are experiencing no longer allow us to manage the equipment in an economically balanced and socially sustainable way and thus to carry out our public service missions.” The company indicates that it cannot pass on the rise in energy prices to the entrance fees to its establishments because of the astronomical cost that it would represent for users. “If this increase were impacted on the entry prices, the latter would be multiplied by 3. It is unthinkable”, defends Vert Marine and hopes to find “bearable costs to respond to this urgent crisis”. Several establishments in the region It is thus all the establishments of the group, installed in Seine-Maritime and leader of the market, which are concerned by these closures. In the Occitanie region, we find the Némausa center in Nîmes, the Pic Saint-Loup swimming pool in Saint-Mathieu-de-Trviers and the Dômes swimming pool in Rivesaltes in the Pyrénées-Orientales. Yet under the management of Vert Marine, the Végapolis ice rink in Montpellier is not affected. “Before the crisis, Vert Marine paid €85 to €100 per megawatt hour. Today, it’s €1,000 to €1,500”, explains Franck Saunier, regional director of Vert Marine. “The situation has become untenable. Companies are facing these excessive increases without shields. This is a temporary closure pending possible government measures to help us. We know that decisions will be made after the European Council to cut the price of energy and we hope to be able to reopen as soon as possible.” Vert Marine applies a public service delegation contract for the management of all these swimming pools with its own staff. It is not announcing, for the time being, any partial unemployment measure: “There will be technical shutdowns and maintenance operations.” The full list of establishments managed by Vert Marine in France is available on the company’s website. In total, 70 to 90% of centers are affected by these closures.