Should we expect power cuts?

While some nuclear power plants are suspended, such as Croix-Meyse, in the Ardèche, a last-ditch effort to negotiate pay between employees and EDF’s management ended in failure. Thus we know that the national inter-union strike notice (CFE-Énergie, CGT, CFDT, FO) is in effect from Monday 15 January. What results for customers?

A strike notice has been filed

After the Croix-Massy power plant, the strike of nuclear agents in France was extended EDF plant in Bugey, in the country’s southeast, where measures are now preventing Unit 5, which has a capacity of 880 megawatts, from restarting, union officials said Wednesday. An action that followsDisappointing failure of salary negotiations It started in early January and may continue till the end of the month.

EDF management limited itself to a 1.5% pay rise, in addition to the usual 2% increase at branch level, the sector’s first two unions told AFP. “Management played the tune of the negotiations for us,” declared Amelie Henry, national secretary of CFE-CGC, EDF’s first union, which is demanding 4% individual measures.

A final heated exchange between employees and management that ended in the end Filing of notice of strike Four representative trade union organizations (CFE-Énergie, CGT, CFDT, FO).

“There is a plan to call a strike Tuesday 30 January To remind management that without employees at work, there is no production of wealth.”

“It is the agents who decide locally” whether to “take back control of the work equipment through load reduction (production reduction) or activity interruption,” declared Thomas Plancott, CGT central union secretary within EDF. “It will be decided by staff in general meetings”, perhaps “next week”, he added. “Actions are already being planned at the sites,” Amelie Henry, national secretary of EDF’s CFE-CGC, told AFP, who notably mentioned Rans Tidal Power Plant (Île-et-villein), “who is preparing”. A situation that promises to escalate in the coming weeks and which seems far from finding its outcome. For Bastian Martin-Cisteron, CGT representative of the Bougie site, Nothing will be signed for less than 100 euros monthly net salary.

Should we be afraid of electricity shortages?

If there were fears of a strike in the fall of 2022 Acute shortage of electricity, at the beginning of this year 2024 the situation is significantly different. Indeed, since this period of the European energy crisis, the available capacity of the French nuclear fleet has increased significantly and is now around 85% due to the work carried out. , according to public data extracted by AFP. France has also regained its position Leading electricity exporter in Europe in 2023, well ahead of Sweden and Norway, thanks in particular to an increase in the nuclear fleet, affected by a historic decline in production in 2022, according to data communicated on Wednesday by analysis firm S&P Global Commodity Insights.

Even if the situation is not alarming for the moment given the situation of the French nuclear fleet, it will still be necessary. Find a solution quickly Before other reactors, but hydraulic dams or thermal power stations (which provide less than 8% of electricity production), are subject to walkouts in turn, threatening unions.

“It always has an impact to perform actions on the work tool, because it necessarily delays the unit outage, has a cost and reduces the load, this is also a cost for the company that cannot use it in the market,” said Thomas Plancott. . However, he admits that “to get something, it has to be with time”. The general and individual increases granted by EDF SA allow for “an average salary increase of 4.14% for the year 2024,” management said, including additional individual measures of +1.5%. On this last point, CFE-CGC wants 4% and CGT 2.3%.