Electricity prices will increase from 8.6% to 9.8% on February 1, announced the Minister of the Economy, Bruno Le Maire, guest of the 8 p.m. news on TF1, Sunday January 21. “The electricity bill on peak/off-peak tariffs will increase by 9.8% on February 1 and on basic tariffs by 8.6%. That is to say that for 97% of French households the increase will be below 10%,” he declared on the set of “8 p.m.” on TF1.
This increase is the consequence of the gradual end of the energy shield, launched in the fall of 2021 by the government to limit increases in electricity and gas prices. The minister spoke on Sunday evening of a “difficult” decision justified by the desire to “get out of whatever it takes” and preserve the balance of public finances. “We are getting back to normal,” he said.
An increase of more than 40% in two years
The government had committed that the revision of the regulated electricity tariff, which occurs each year on February 1 and August 1, would be limited this time to an increase of 10% maximum. Previously, this regulated tariff had increased by 4% in February 2022, 15% in February 2023 and 10% in August 2023. The total increase over two years is therefore of the order of 43% to 44%.
“This is the last increase in this tax for the year 2024. The next one will be on February 1, 2025, we will return to the situation which was that before the tariff shield,” added Bruno Le Maire.