France's CRE modifies Tempo electricity tariff rules

The French Energy Regulatory Commission (CRE) has announced changes to the Tempo electricity tariff system to improve the distribution of high-cost 'red days' and protect holiday periods. Under the new rules, December 24 and December 31 are officially excluded from being designated as red days, ensuring that Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve will no longer incur peak electricity rates.

While the total number of red days remains fixed at 22 per year, the selection method is changing. RTE will now select these days based on peak period criteria. To prevent a concentration of high-cost days at the end of the winter season, the CRE has implemented monthly limits, including a requirement for six red days across November and December, and a maximum of two in March.

The Tempo season runs from September 1 to August 31, with red days restricted to weekdays between November 1 and March 31, excluding public holidays. Although a future evolution may allow for notification two days in advance, subscribers must currently continue to rely on the existing system of receiving the next day's color the previous day at 10:30.