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PARIS, Jan 6 (Reuters) – France’s energy suppliers have agreed to supply small companies fighting value rises a assured tariff of 280 euros ($298) on common per megawatt hour, Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire stated.
“This can be a assured tariff and it is a gigantic reduction,” stated Le Maire after a gathering on Friday with power executives.
President Emmanuel Macron had on Thursday urged power suppliers together with EDF (EDF.PA) and TotalEnergies (TTEF.PA) to do extra to assist prospects address the surge in power costs that has in current months pushed inflation to document highs.
Macron had stated it was unacceptable that firms reap extreme income when many small companies are struggling.
A big a part of France’s small companies, which in keeping with the official definition embrace all companies with fewer than 10 staff, are already protected by a 15% value improve cap for family gasoline and energy tariffs.
However some final yr wanted to signal new contracts on the open market when costs jumped and, missing adequate money reserves, at the moment are fighting their payments.
Earlier this week, Le Maire hosted a disaster assembly with power suppliers to assist France’s trademark bakeries, lots of that are teetering after grain and energy costs surged.
Macron on Thursday widened the federal government’s efforts to assist small enterprises and stated all contracts throughout sectors above the nation’s power regulator’s reference value on the finish of 2022, which was about 280 euros per MWh, needs to be reviewed.
Le Maire stated after Friday’s assembly and “three hours of negotiations”, nevertheless, that the newly agreed assured value was a easier and more practical answer.
Small enterprise homeowners can now inform suppliers that they need the assured value via a standardised type, he added.
($1 = 0.9408 euros)
Reporting by Tassilo Hummel and Sudip Kar-Gupta; Modifying by Richard Lough and Alexander Smith
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