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French PM warns businesses of risk of energy rationing this winter

French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne warned company bosses on Monday about the risk of energy rationing this winter and urged them to take steps to reduce their consumption.

French PM warns businesses of risk of energy rationing this winter
France's Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne delivers a speech to business leaders on Monday. Photo by Eric PIERMONT / AFP

“If we act collectively then we can overcome the risk of shortages, but unless everyone takes part and if all the bad-case scenarios come together then we could be forced to impose reductions on consumers,” she said.

“If we end up with rationing, companies will be the most affected and unfortunately we need to be prepared for it.”

Speaking at the annual gathering of Medef – the business leaders group – Borne asked each business to prepare their own plan to cut energy use, as part of France’s wide ranging sobriété enérgetique (energy sobriety) plan, which will be revealed this shortly.

In addition to the immediate threat of a shortage of Russian gas this winter, the plan – to cut France’s energy use by 10 percent in two years and 30 percent by 2030 – is also a response to the climate crisis.

Borne began her speech by recapping the bleak events of the summer – historically early heatwaves, the worst drought in 60 years, wildfires raging across the country and fatal storms – to underline that the climate crisis is accelerating.

“Every company needs to mobilise and act. I call on everyone to establish their own energy-saving plans in September,” she said, while stressing that the crisis caused by record-high energy prices would help the transition away from fossil fuels.

“The months ahead are just a step in the bigger transition that we need to make,” she said.

France is more sheltered than many European countries from the surge in gas prices caused by Russia’s decision to reduce its exports to Europe after its invasion of Ukraine in February.

France generates some 70 percent of its electricity from a fleet of 56 nuclear reactors, but 32 are currently offline either for routine maintenance or to evaluate corrosion risks.

Ministers will be meeting with business leaders in the weeks to come, and representatives from key sectors to develop industry-wide plans for energy transition.

The first sectors to be reviewed – partially in response to the events of the summer, will be forestry, water and renewable energy. 

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POLITICS

New Caledonia airport to reopen Monday, curfew reduced: authorities

New Caledonia's main international airport will reopen from Monday after being shut last month during a spate of deadly unrest, the high commission in the French Pacific territory said, adding a curfew would also be reduced.

New Caledonia airport to reopen Monday, curfew reduced: authorities

The commission said Sunday that it had “decided to reopen the airport during the day” and to “push back to 8:00 pm (from 6:00 pm) the start of the curfew as of Monday”.

The measures had been introduced after violence broke out on May 13 over a controversial voting reform that would have allowed long-term residents to participate in local polls.

The archipelago’s Indigenous Kanaks feared the move would dilute their vote, putting hopes for eventually winning independence definitively out of reach.

READ ALSO: Explained: What’s behind the violence on French island of New Caledonia?

Barricades, skirmishes with the police and looting left nine dead and hundreds injured, and inflicted hundreds of millions of euros in damage.

The full resumption of flights at Tontouta airport was made possible by the reopening of an expressway linking it to the capital Noumea that had been blocked by demonstrators, the commission said.

Previously the airport was only handling a small number of flights with special exemptions.

Meanwhile, the curfew, which runs until 6:00 am, was reduced “in light of the improvement in the situation and in order to facilitate the gradual return to normal life”, the commission added.

French President Emmanuel Macron had announced on Wednesday that the voting reform that touched off the unrest would be “suspended” in light of snap parliamentary polls.

Instead he aimed to “give full voice to local dialogue and the restoration of order”, he told reporters.

Although approved by both France’s National Assembly and Senate, the reform had been waiting on a constitutional congress of both houses to become part of the basic law.

Caledonian pro-independence movements had already considered reform dead given Macron’s call for snap elections.

“This should be a time for rebuilding peace and social ties,” the Kanak Liberation Party (Palika) said Wednesday before the announcement.

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