Paris, 10 January 2024 (dpa/MIA) - Due to a cold snap, France has temporarily restarted a coal-fired power plant in the north-east, near the German border.

The power plant in the town of Saint-Avold, which was taken off the grid in 2022, has been reactivated to meet the increased energy demand, the head of the French energy regulator (CRE) Emmanuelle Wargon told broadcaster France Info on Wednesday.

France still has two coal-fired power plants on standby, she said.

"We closed two coal-fired power plants, and there are two left which operate when we really need them, a few hours a year," Wargon added.

She noted that if France were to import electricity from Germany rather than reactive local plants, it may also be coal-generated energy.

Last year, 0.1% of French electricity generation was still generated from coal power, Wargon said.

The Emile-Huchet power plant near the German border was last briefly in operation around a year ago, the newspaper Le Républicain Lorrain reported.

In order to keep the power plant operational, about 100 employees who had initially been made redundant were rehired and investments were made in maintenance.

Wargon said the power plant will be converted to biomass by 2027.

Photo: Internet