Latest update : 2009-12-17
“Will there be electricity for Christmas?”
FRENCH PRESS REVIEW: Libération’s front page speculates on the possibility of a blackout in parts of France in the run-up to Christmas. A cold weather spell has increased demand on energy supplies.
France’s energy supply is under strain because of a cold snap across the country in the past few days. With some nuclear power plants down for maintenance, the country’s energy grid is at risk of being over-stretched. Could the Christmas turkey be served raw this year in certain parts of the country?!
Libération’s editorial says the problem illustrates a lack of advance planning. The last power plant was built in France in 1997 and since then, energy demands have increased by almost 10%. In the context of the Copenhagen summit, this energy shortage is a reminder of the increasing cost and rarity of energy supplies, the paper says.
Other stories in today’s French papers:
Le Parisien
The big identity fraud of football players
Le Figaro
End of cheques in the UK?
Libération
Senegal’s new monument causes controversy