Proposals of the French Gas Association in response to the energy crisis

The AFG stresses that at the onset of winter, France is in a better situation than that anticipated a few months earlier. The actors of the gas sector were strongly mobilized during the year 2022. The actions implemented in favor of the security of supply, the filling of storage, the support of their customers and the control of demand, yielded significant benefits. This results in lower prices in France than in neighboring European countries, which benefits all French consumers.

In a context of sharp price increases, the measures deployed by the public authorities have greatly cushioned the consequences of the crisis for households and helped certain businesses. Despite this support, AFG warns of the economic impact of the market situation and calls for a rebalancing of aid measures to direct them more towards companies in difficulty, some of which have been forced to reduce or even temporarily stop their activity. .

To help all customers cope with the consequences of high energy prices in 2023, AFG is making the following proposals:

• The upcoming increases on households and the strengthening of the energy check should allow better targeting and a rebalancing between households and businesses

For companies :

• Extend the benefit of the tariff shield to VSEs and SMEs in the form of a "business energy check", at a level determined according to the contracted supply price and the reference consumption, and according to a criterion based on the ratio comprising the amount of the energy bill and the annual turnover;
• Quickly set up, before the end of the year, the State guarantee system to ensure that all customers can be offered at least one supply offer.

For households:

• Sustain in 2023 the measures to strengthen the level of the energy voucher and open a fundamental reflection on an overhaul of the system and the target of beneficiaries;
• Quickly launch a consultation on the methods for defining a reference price index for 2023 following the extinction of regulated gas tariffs;
• Extend the benefit of the exceptional “fuel oil” energy voucher to all off-grid energies – fuel oil, wood and propane – for households residing in a municipality not connected to the natural gas network;
• Introduce a reduced VAT rate for gas supply offers containing 50% biomethane.

For gas mobility players:

• Set up an NGV aid system that promotes this energy to the extent of its environmental benefits and that allows the development of the sector to be preserved.

You will find all of these detailed proposals in this document.