“It’s essentially linked to the fact that consumption is falling,” explains Emmanuel Worgan

“It’s just the reality of the cost of using the network,” explains Emmanuel Worgan, “the fact that gas goes through pipes. These pipes must be maintained, they must be replaced when they default.”

From July 1, the French Energy Regulatory Commission and network manager GRDF announced on Friday February 2 that gas bills will rise again from 5.5% to 10.4%. A rise that may come as a surprise as benchmark gas prices for January 2024 fell 4% after a month of steady increases.. “It’s essentially linked to the fact that consumption is declining.”Emanuel Worgan, President of the Energy Regulatory Commission explains, while the costs of transporting and using the gas network remain the same and must be borne by fewer consumers.

“It’s just the reality of the cost of using the network.”Emmanuelle Wargon explains, because “In the cost of the individual bills that we all pay, there is the cost of the gas molecule, and then the fact that this gas goes through pipes. These pipes must be maintained, when they fail they must be replaced.”

Price increases that benefit the energy transition

This increase for the customer, “This is essentially linked to the fact that consumption is declining”she explains. “It’s good news that consumption is going down, it’s good for the planet, it’s also good for purchasing power, because we’re consuming less. But we still need pipes and we have the same need for quality and safety, If we distribute the costs. To use the network at low consumption, essentially customer by customer, it’s a little bit more.”

Emanuel Worgan explains that price increases, though financing new biomethane infrastructure, will benefit the energy transition: “In the coming price for the next four years, we have planned all the necessary investments for biomethane. It is produced locally, often by farmers or sometimes at waste management installations and these installations must be well connected to the gas network for methanization. It is worth One part is. Investments will be made to accommodate more biomethane and therefore gradually reduce the share of fossil gas in the gas we use.”