This also risks (and especially) to multiply the price of MWh of erasing peaks (stabilization of the network ...)!
By privatizing its hydroelectric dams, France takes a huge risk
Pressurized by Brussels, France is put on notice to open part of its hydroelectric dams in competition. Today, they are operated by EDF and Engie. For several deputies and local elected representatives, this privatization risks making the national electricity system less efficient and destabilizing the coordination between the various users of watercourses.
Hydroelectric dams are a precious asset for France. They are the primary source of renewable energy, produce the cheapest electricity, stabilize the electricity grid, are depreciated for years and ... are very profitable. These little jewels in the hands of EDF and Engie, bring together 25 000 employees and generate 1,5 billion of tax revenue per year.
However, at a time when the privatizations of Paris Airport (ADP) and the French Games (FDJ) are debated, France is preparing to do the same with 150 of its hydraulic facilities. This is not a political choice, but the answer to a Brussels injunction that has put Paris on notice twice to open the roadblocks to competition.
A less optimized hydroelectric system
The dams will remain state property but their concession would go to multiple foreign players, very attracted by these monsters of profitability. This poses several problems alert us to the experts. A global and centralized management makes it possible to optimize the services rendered to the electric network while taking into account the other uses of the water: irrigation, tourism, fishing ...
Not to mention the management of periods of flood or drought. So many major issues that are managed at the valley scale, or even hydraulic basins.
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https://www.novethic.fr/actualite/energ ... 47129.html
