The Eiffel Tower will turn off earlier than usual each night in response to Europe’s energy crisis, officials said on Tuesday.
The illumination of the Eiffel Tower will end at 11:45 p.m., when the tower will be closed to visitors, from September 21, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo said. The iconic monument is usually illuminated until 1am
The illuminated Eiffel Tower is reflected on the Seine at night in Paris, April 12, 2020.
AFP via Getty Images, FILE
In addition, the lighting of the exterior facades of all municipal buildings and monuments, including the district town halls, will be turned off at 10 p.m. from the same date, she specified.
Public lighting will be maintained to ensure the safety of Parisians, said the mayor.
The lighting changes are part of the “sobriety” measures the French capital adopts during the colder months to deal with the energy crisis caused by Russia’s war in Ukraine and to prevent energy shortages.
Other actions include delaying a month when the city turns on the heat in public buildings and lowering the temperature in those buildings by 1 to 18 degrees Celsius (about 64 degrees Fahrenheit) during office hours and even lower after office hours and on weekends.
The Eiffel Tower plunges into darkness as part of Earth Hour in Paris, March 27, 2021.
Pierre Suu/Getty Images, FILE
The city aims to reduce its energy consumption by 10% this winter, a target set in July by French President Emmanuel Macron to save energy nationwide. The actions come after Europe experienced its hottest summer on record, according to the Copernicus climate change service, and energy prices at the end of August were 12 times higher than they weren’t this time last year, Hidalgo’s office said.
It’s unclear how long the changes will be in effect.
Russian pressure on natural gas supplies in response to Western sanctions imposed for its actions in Ukraine has driven up gas and electricity prices in Europe. The crisis is only expected to worsen over the winter.
The European Commission presented new measures last week to continue to deal with the crisis, in particular by proposing a mandatory target for reducing electricity consumption at peak times and a cap on Russian gas prices.
