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On top of the peak production issue, there is also a fuel reserve issue As half of the the nuclear power plants are down, they have to rely on gas. And gas has

On top of the peak production issue, there is also a fuel reserve issue As half of the the nuclear power plants are down, they have to rely on gas. And gas has become difficult to import. France feels both the liberalisation of the electricity production : Private operators promised to produce cheaper and cleaner power back in the 2000s. But they didn't. Virtually all of them used a scheme (the Arenh system) to get public electricity in bulk, sold to them at a loss and at a fixed price, so that they could compete with the public company on retail prices. Then the government was still in their privatization bubble, lobbies told them everything was fine, and they began to stop to maintain and to phase out public nuclear power plants. And now we no longer have electricity. The backup would be electricity made with natural gas. But you need to save that natural gas now. Russia froze the export of natural gas. And other companies know that gas is in short supply, so prices skyrocket. So yeah, we have to turn everything off at night.

cm2187 4y ago
I am sure France isn't contemplating blackouts to save on the gas supply.
- hinata08 4y ago
  No i'm just saying there are 2 issues nowadays : peak production issue and how to keep producing electricity in the next year, as gas is difficult to source, and the tank might eventually run out. The government is just making a single campaign to simplify the PR ! In the same ads, they ask citizens to both reduce energy consumption (eg lower heating to 18°C), and to delay intensive usage out of peak hours (eg use you washing machine or the space heater during the day and not in the evening)
Normille 4y ago
- hinata08 4y ago
  Whatever, there is no Russian gas anymore I disagree with your russian narrative (payments for gas would have been processed despite the swift ban). But the objective part of this story is that EU has no gas anymore. And debates about Russia won't fuel power plants
- gattilorenz 4y ago
  > France [and the rest of the EU] announced they were going to stop buying Russian oil and gas, blocked Russia's access to the world banking system so Russia couldn't receive payment for their gas in $$$ or €€€, then refused to pay for it in Roubles instead. As far as I remember, it was still possible (in terms of banking systems/santions) to pay the gas in Euros as usual; Russia decided, unilaterally, that they would require the payment to be in Rubles (to try and limit its plummeting value). For ther rest, you're correct.
  - alwayseasy 4y ago
    Your recollection is correct. He is falling for the same thing he accused op of.
  - f6v 4y ago
    Why would Russia want to be payed in EUR when their foreign assets were frozen? Russia relied on foreign financial infrastructure which has proven to be unreliable for them.
    - analognoise 4y ago
      It's a funny twist of logic to say the Russians found the foreign financial infrastructure to be unreliable for them... When they were booted out for attacking a neighboring country, isn't it? It's so unreliable! All they have to avoid is invading their neighbors, but they couldn't manage that. Russia is the unreliable party.
      - ithkuil 4y ago
        Unfortunately to make sense of any of this one needs to understand how people include some implicit framing. For Russia (and many Russia apologists) Ukraine is not an innocent neighbor or not even a neighbor in the first place (not a "real country", part of mother Russia, part of the empire or part of the legitimate sphere of influence, legitimate by destiny...), and Russia is liberating Ukrainians from their current leaders or at least liberate the Russian speaking subset of the population. Clearly if you're not sharing this worldview/framing it seems clear that Russia is just paying the obvious consequences for their actions, and that they are morally on breach of contract. Unfortunately in practice the contract doesn't matter. There are no courts, there are no normal arguments to be had here. Russia made a choice and are bearing the consequence. Other countries made their choices and are bearing the consequence. Some gambles have been made, some have failed, others have not yet played out fully.
- Darmody 4y ago
  Just yesterday the EU put a $60 limit per barrel. FTFY.
- EB-Barrington 4y ago
  'bad guys' didn't need quotations. What Russia and Russians are doing in Ukraine is pure evil. They are well and truly the bad guys in this war - afterall, they started it.
  - ithkuil 4y ago
    I'm surrounded by left wing friends and acquaintances in Italy who truly believe that Russia is liberating their oppressed country-people in east Ukraine and that Ukrainians deserve what's happening to them because they voted Zelenski. I'm a little depressed by how easy it seems for people to spin all this on its head.
    - EB-Barrington 4y ago
      Challenge your friends at every opportunity - don't let it slide.
    - lostmsu 4y ago
      It's not about the wing. You have to be brain-dead to believe in liberation when 6M+ refugees (out of 40M total population), good deal if not majority Russian-speaking, fled to Europe instead of just going where Russia wanted them to or staying in occupied areas.
      - ithkuil 4y ago
        The brain is often used to rationalize whateverideology wants. Right leaning people I know naturally sympathize for Putin because they like his ability to decide what he wants; the allure of the strong man. Left leaning people in Italy sympathize for Putin because they are so used at hating American imperialism that by definition whatever is challenging it (better if its natural old enemy) must be good! It's often easy to conveniently select the facts that support whatever your bias is, and when you can't just throw some whataboutism and you're back safely in your worldview. On top of that you add your social media bubble that reinforces your position, feeding you with arguments that you can cherry pick. I don't know but I find it very hard ti effectively counter that when discussing with people who hold such positions. (Insulting their intelligence doesn't accomplish much)
- AnonymousPlanet 4y ago
  I'm afraid, you're the one with the faulty short term memory. Let me help you: There was has not been a ban on Russian gas. There has been a very loud pledge to get away from Russian gas in the future. But not a ban. Russia has been reducing the flow of gas from their end through Nord Stream 1. Russia has cut off gas all together to countries who stopped paying. But those were not big importers to begin with. Germany was still paying. The Russians didn't hold up their and and blamed damaged technology for it. So, no, there is no twisting of interpretations in the GP's post. If you want more details of the actual sequence of events I can give it to you, because I have been taking notes. Just for cases like your post.
- jongjong 4y ago
  WTF is this being downvoted? It's exactly what happened. Germany had been pressured to stop Nord Stream 2 by the US for years. Then, because of the Ukraine war, they were forced to abandon Nord Stream 2 altogether and were pressured to close Nord Stream 1 (which was already operating at the time)... They were hesitant to do it and then the 'accident' with the burst NS1 pipeline happened. Why is it a stretch to assume that France was also pressured to abandon Russian energy imports in the same way as Germany was? Why would France care if they paid for oil and gas with USD or RUB? Neither is their currency... All these horrible deals which EU accepted have the US' fingerprints all over them. Why would Russia cut off sales of its own petrol to Europe in a time when it needs money to fund its war in Ukraine? That narrative makes no sense at all. It's obvious what happened. Then factor in Joe Biden's past ties to Ukraine... It's shady AF.

cm2187 4y ago

I am sure France isn't contemplating blackouts to save on the gas supply.

hinata08 4y ago
No i'm just saying there are 2 issues nowadays : peak production issue and how to keep producing electricity in the next year, as gas is difficult to source, and the tank might eventually run out. The government is just making a single campaign to simplify the PR ! In the same ads, they ask citizens to both reduce energy consumption (eg lower heating to 18°C), and to delay intensive usage out of peak hours (eg use you washing machine or the space heater during the day and not in the evening)

Normille 4y ago

hinata08 4y ago
Whatever, there is no Russian gas anymore I disagree with your russian narrative (payments for gas would have been processed despite the swift ban). But the objective part of this story is that EU has no gas anymore. And debates about Russia won't fuel power plants
gattilorenz 4y ago
> France [and the rest of the EU] announced they were going to stop buying Russian oil and gas, blocked Russia's access to the world banking system so Russia couldn't receive payment for their gas in $$$ or €€€, then refused to pay for it in Roubles instead. As far as I remember, it was still possible (in terms of banking systems/santions) to pay the gas in Euros as usual; Russia decided, unilaterally, that they would require the payment to be in Rubles (to try and limit its plummeting value). For ther rest, you're correct.
- alwayseasy 4y ago
  Your recollection is correct. He is falling for the same thing he accused op of.
- f6v 4y ago
  Why would Russia want to be payed in EUR when their foreign assets were frozen? Russia relied on foreign financial infrastructure which has proven to be unreliable for them.
  - analognoise 4y ago
    It's a funny twist of logic to say the Russians found the foreign financial infrastructure to be unreliable for them... When they were booted out for attacking a neighboring country, isn't it? It's so unreliable! All they have to avoid is invading their neighbors, but they couldn't manage that. Russia is the unreliable party.
    - ithkuil 4y ago
      Unfortunately to make sense of any of this one needs to understand how people include some implicit framing. For Russia (and many Russia apologists) Ukraine is not an innocent neighbor or not even a neighbor in the first place (not a "real country", part of mother Russia, part of the empire or part of the legitimate sphere of influence, legitimate by destiny...), and Russia is liberating Ukrainians from their current leaders or at least liberate the Russian speaking subset of the population. Clearly if you're not sharing this worldview/framing it seems clear that Russia is just paying the obvious consequences for their actions, and that they are morally on breach of contract. Unfortunately in practice the contract doesn't matter. There are no courts, there are no normal arguments to be had here. Russia made a choice and are bearing the consequence. Other countries made their choices and are bearing the consequence. Some gambles have been made, some have failed, others have not yet played out fully.
Darmody 4y ago
Just yesterday the EU put a $60 limit per barrel. FTFY.
EB-Barrington 4y ago
'bad guys' didn't need quotations. What Russia and Russians are doing in Ukraine is pure evil. They are well and truly the bad guys in this war - afterall, they started it.
- ithkuil 4y ago
  I'm surrounded by left wing friends and acquaintances in Italy who truly believe that Russia is liberating their oppressed country-people in east Ukraine and that Ukrainians deserve what's happening to them because they voted Zelenski. I'm a little depressed by how easy it seems for people to spin all this on its head.
  - EB-Barrington 4y ago
    Challenge your friends at every opportunity - don't let it slide.
  - lostmsu 4y ago
    It's not about the wing. You have to be brain-dead to believe in liberation when 6M+ refugees (out of 40M total population), good deal if not majority Russian-speaking, fled to Europe instead of just going where Russia wanted them to or staying in occupied areas.
    - ithkuil 4y ago
      The brain is often used to rationalize whateverideology wants. Right leaning people I know naturally sympathize for Putin because they like his ability to decide what he wants; the allure of the strong man. Left leaning people in Italy sympathize for Putin because they are so used at hating American imperialism that by definition whatever is challenging it (better if its natural old enemy) must be good! It's often easy to conveniently select the facts that support whatever your bias is, and when you can't just throw some whataboutism and you're back safely in your worldview. On top of that you add your social media bubble that reinforces your position, feeding you with arguments that you can cherry pick. I don't know but I find it very hard ti effectively counter that when discussing with people who hold such positions. (Insulting their intelligence doesn't accomplish much)
AnonymousPlanet 4y ago
I'm afraid, you're the one with the faulty short term memory. Let me help you: There was has not been a ban on Russian gas. There has been a very loud pledge to get away from Russian gas in the future. But not a ban. Russia has been reducing the flow of gas from their end through Nord Stream 1. Russia has cut off gas all together to countries who stopped paying. But those were not big importers to begin with. Germany was still paying. The Russians didn't hold up their and and blamed damaged technology for it. So, no, there is no twisting of interpretations in the GP's post. If you want more details of the actual sequence of events I can give it to you, because I have been taking notes. Just for cases like your post.
jongjong 4y ago
WTF is this being downvoted? It's exactly what happened. Germany had been pressured to stop Nord Stream 2 by the US for years. Then, because of the Ukraine war, they were forced to abandon Nord Stream 2 altogether and were pressured to close Nord Stream 1 (which was already operating at the time)... They were hesitant to do it and then the 'accident' with the burst NS1 pipeline happened. Why is it a stretch to assume that France was also pressured to abandon Russian energy imports in the same way as Germany was? Why would France care if they paid for oil and gas with USD or RUB? Neither is their currency... All these horrible deals which EU accepted have the US' fingerprints all over them. Why would Russia cut off sales of its own petrol to Europe in a time when it needs money to fund its war in Ukraine? That narrative makes no sense at all. It's obvious what happened. Then factor in Joe Biden's past ties to Ukraine... It's shady AF.