Private and third-party operators can abandon their annual energy contracts with infrastructure manager SNCF Network on June 1 to find new electricity suppliers for 2023, according to the French transport ministry.
After SNCF Network announced a four-fold increase in traction electricity costs to over €500 per MWh at the start of the year, pressure mounted.
Operators can leave their yearly SNCF Network contracts on June 1.
SNCF Voyageurs, officially separate from SNCF Network, won a 2023 contract for the entire French National Railways (SNCF) Group with a substantially lower price increase.
Arfa, which represents French private operators, says the infrastructure management signed its energy supply arrangement “at the worst possible moment” and passed on the cost rise to its captive clients. The government’s goal of doubling rail freight market share by 2030 is at risk, it warns.
SNCF Network may penalize private operators for contract breaches. Arfa expects to get €150–€200 per MWh.
