This is an edited version of what the trio wish to communicate to their home nation, France.

 

For months now, the European energy system has been under severe strain and the French energy system has not been spared. Deliveries of Russian gas by pipeline have fallen sharply for some countries, including France.

 

Although increasing, imports of LNG are today still too limited to compensate for these declines. The level of alert on gas stocks at European level is therefore high and rationing measures are put in place in some countries.

 

Controllable electricity production capacities in Europe are also under strain following national choices or for maintenance programs. Climatic conditions and drought have reduced hydropower production.

 

The soaring energy prices that result from these difficulties threaten our social and political cohesion and have a too heavy impact on the purchasing power of families.

 

This is why we are launching this joint appeal.

 

We want to contribute to tackling these short-term deadlines with determination, alongside the public authorities who have been able, since the beginning of this crisis, to courageously take easing measures that are a step in the right direction.

 

We, energy companies, take our responsibilities by acting on the offer. We have already implemented short-term actions to respond to this emergency: the diversification of gas supplies, the proactive filling of storage facilities, the ongoing installation of a floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) in the port of Le Havre to speed up LNG imports, the re-commissioning of mothballed facilities. Our human and financial resources are mobilized with the greatest determination to increase the offer.

 

But - more than ever - the best energy is still the one we don't consume. We must, collectively, act on energy demand by reducing our consumption to restore our room for manoeuvre. We will need it to manage future peaks in consumption and to cushion any technical hazards or geopolitical shocks that we may have to face.

 

Acting this summer will allow us to be better prepared to tackle next winter and in particular to preserve our gas reserves.

 

We therefore call for awareness and collective and individual action so that each of us - each consumer, each company - changes their behaviour and immediately limits their consumption of energy, electricity, gas and petroleum products.

 

We must initiate a major energy efficiency program and a national waste hunt. The effort must be immediate, collective and massive. Every gesture counts. And make no mistake: saving energy means increasing purchasing power and also reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

 

This call is obvious to us, energy companies, who are committed to serving our individual customers, companies or communities as well as possible. To support our fellow citizens in this necessary exceptional sobriety, we have tools, expertise, which we intend to mobilise to achieve this sobriety over the long term without significantly affecting our lifestyles.

 

Our long-term objectives in favour of carbon neutrality will be achieved even more quickly by this mobilization. We are continuing our commitments and actions to accelerate the energy transition. It is no longer just an imperative in the face of the climate emergency, but a response to the challenges of energy sovereignty.

 

It requires massive investments in energy efficiency and in all low-carbon energy sources, electricity and gas. And asks, in a transparent dialogue, the support of the populations, of the elected representatives who represent them and of the administration which applies the law.

 

We must also act on a European scale and show solidarity. Our markets are interdependent. This European electricity and gas interconnection is more fundamental than ever. Targeted investments will make it possible to strengthen the balance between countries and to perpetuate solidarity between countries, particularly in Central and Eastern Europe.

 

Responsible industrial players, our three groups are committed to working together actively in the face of these challenges.

 

We propose to mobilise considerable human, financial and technological resources to meet a challenge that involves our short-term way of life and our long-term future. This collaboration will be fully effective under the aegis of State services and with the help of local authorities, economic players and our fellow citizens.

 

In this way, we will work together in the service of social cohesion and the sustainable transition of our country.