Energy. Power moderation was imposed in Strasbourg.

A decline in outdoor lighting, a reduction in the opening of public buildings, a hunt for wasted heat: Faced with quintupling energy bills, the city of Strasbourg and the Eurometropolis announced a sobering plan on Wednesday.

“Sometimes we have to make difficult, but essential choices”, Jeanne Barseghian, the EELV mayor of the Alsatian capital, warned at a press conference. It wants to “maintain continuity of public service, especially for the most vulnerable”.

Pia Imps, head of Eurometropolis, which is responsible for gas orders for Strasbourg and the 32 surrounding municipalities, announced in the introduction that the last tender call issued in August saw a 500% increase in the price of this energy. Never seen”. The community counted a 200% increase in early July.

For Strasbourg, the bill will increase from 12 to 60 million euros per year. “The 50 million euros we need to find,” said Ms.

And a relaxing Christmas market

The community is also considering changing the opening hours of swimming pools, ice rinks or media libraries. Another idea: postponing the heating season for public buildings, or leaving some small unused facilities, such as the old town hall, unheated except for the wedding hall.

“We are going to continue with the program package, with the climate emergency as a priority, investing massively in ecological change, whether in plants, transport or heating”, confirmed Jean Parsejian, however elected in 2020. Taxation increase is excluded at this stage.

While there is “no question about canceling or removing the Christmas market”, one of Europe’s oldest and busiest, the town hall wants to be “more relaxed and more responsible from this year onwards”. lamp

Nationally, “we’re no longer talking about the Amish or the oil lamp, the findings are finally being shared,” the ecologist pointed out, while the prime minister urged companies to curb energy on Monday.

“It is necessary to reduce the pace of spending,” said Siamak Aga Babaei, the first deputy in charge of finance, according to whom, without state aid, “a shock is forming for local public finances.”

“The announced measures give a sense of death by denying growth, economic attraction, innovation to compensate and face these difficulties,” accused municipal councilor Pierre Jakubowicz (Horizons) in a press release for his part. “Far-Left Municipality Burns Money Without Counting”.

TTY