The subject is “strategic” for the largest aluminum foundry in Europe, explains the group’s CEO in an interview with “La Tribune”.
Published on 03/01/2025 19:38
Updated on 03/01/2025 20:25
Reading time: 1min
The boss of Aluminum Dunkerque announced, Friday January 3, his “need for long-term visibility” on electricity prices which risk threatening the competitiveness of French industry. “The cost of our aluminum is not set by Aluminum Dunkerque, but globally by the London Stock Exchange. We therefore need competitive prices”declares Guillaume de Goÿs, the CEO of the group, in an interview with The Tribune. The subject is “strategic” for the largest aluminum foundry in Europe, for which electricity represents “the second largest production cost in the factory, behind alumina”.
The year 2025 is crucial for industrialists who are large consumers of electricity like him, who are worried about the end, on December 31, of the Arenh, a system specific to France allowing a nuclear electricity price of EDF at a discounted price for large consumers, i.e. 42 euros per megawatt hour (MWh), on part of their consumption.
To replace this system, EDF has launched negotiations to conclude long-term contracts, guaranteeing visibility for its industrial customers, on the basis of the agreement entered into between the State and the energy company on November 14, 2023.
To date, EDF has signed six letters of intent for “nuclear production allocation contracts (CAPN)”, with an average duration of 15 years, and many other discussions are slipping. In talks with EDF, Aluminum Dunkerque, the leading French industrial site consuming electricity, signed a 4-year contract at the end of the summer (2026-end 2029) with the alternative supplier Engie for part of its supply.
