A 414% increase in the cost of gas in 2023. An estimated 300% increase in the cost of electricity in 2024… The energy crisis is blowing up the budgets of local authorities in general and those of the city of Nîmes in particular.
Faced with this soaring energy cost, it has just unveiled a plan of new measures, applicable from 1 December. “The assumed objective is to achieve a forecast saving of 1.3 million euros for the year 2023, i.e. 10.6% of its expenditure estimated at 12.5 million euros”, underlines Jean-Paul Fournier (LR), the mayor of Nîmes.
“The constraints are now such that they force us to take new measures,” says Pascale Venturini, deputy delegate for the environment and ecological transition, renewable energies and district heating. Measures that affect public lighting, but also places dedicated to sport and leisure.
street lighting
From midnight to 5 a.m., the whole city will be plunged into darkness, except for the city center and sensitive urban areas (the Valdegour, Pissevin, chemin-Bas d’Avignon and Mas de Mingue districts). Similarly, the main traffic arteries will also remain lit, pending the opinion of the Gard Departmental Council and the Mediterranean Interdepartmental Directorate, which are the managers.
The Esplanade, Avenue Feuchères, the courthouse, Place de la Calade, and the Clock Tower will now be turned off at midnight (instead of one o’clock today) and not turned on again in the morning.
The swimming pools
The temperature will drop: from 20°C to 19°C in the changing rooms, from 29°C to 27°C in the water and from 28°C to 27°C in the air. The Fenouillet swimming pool will undergo renovation and energy performance improvement works and will be closed from January 1, 2023 to March 31, 2024. Only one municipal swimming pool will be open during school holidays. As for the baby swimming sessions hosted at Aquatropic, they will be relocated to the Iris swimming pool and are suspended for the following school year.
The rink
It will now be open for eight months, from September 1 to April 30. That is an early closing of a month and a half.
Other sports buildings
They will see their temperature reduced by one to two degrees, from 18°C to 16°C depending on the spaces (changing rooms, gyms or barefoot activities, sports halls, etc.) and their schedules will be adjusted from 8 am to 10 pm. During school holidays, the gymnasiums, excluding Parnasse and Costières, will be closed every other week (two weeks during the Christmas period). They will also be closed from July 15 to August 15
Outdoor sports fields
The city will comply with the recommendations of the Ministry of Sports to reduce pre-match and post-match lighting by 50% for football and rugby matches during the day, and by 30% at night.