Paris: Eiffel Tower will be turned off early to save energy

The goal of energy sobriety in Europe this second semester will reach one of France’s icons. To save electricity, the Eiffel Tower, one of the most visited tourist attractions in the world, will switch off its lights earlier than usual during autumn in the Northern Hemisphere.

The initiative came from the mayor of Paris, the socialist Anne Hidalgo. She is preparing to announce, on Tuesday (13), her plan for saving energy in the French capital in the coming months. However, one of the most emblematic measures – the reduction of the lighting time of the Eiffel Tower – has already been confirmed by the local authorities to the press.

The “Iron Lady”, as the monument is also known, will have its lights off from 11:45 pm, 1:15 am earlier than usual. According to the Eiffel Tower Exploration Society (Seven), there is still no precise date for the plan to come into force, but the goal is for it to be adopted as soon as possible.

Currently, the lights on the Eiffel Tower are turned on as soon as night falls and it stays lit until 1 am. In total, 336 projectors color the structure of the monument gold at night. In addition, every hour, 20,000 light bulbs flash and give the “Iron Lady” a sparkling appearance. This spectacle, watched by thousands of tourists daily, lasts at midnight. With the energy sobriety plan going into effect, the tower will shine for the last time at 11pm.

symbolic gesture

Even before being announced, the measure is already questioned by the French press. “What is the real impact of reducing the tower’s lighting?” asks the newspaper Le Parisien this Monday (12). For the president of Sete, Jean-François Martins, in a context of fear of an energy crisis, it is necessary to “set an example”. According to him, the monument’s night lighting represents 4% of the “Iron Lady’s” total electricity consumption.

“Using lighting when we really need it is a good decision. The objective is a little economic, but it is necessary to set an example, participate in awareness and mobilization”, he says.

Closed for long periods during the Covid-19 pandemic, the Eiffel Tower — the work of engineer Gustave Eiffel, completed in 1889 — this year resumed the same level of attendance as before the health crisis, receiving an average of more than 20,000 visitors per day. day.

Interviewed by the newspaper Le Parisien, residents of the French capital seem to support the initiative. Some remember that, on several occasions, the monument has already been turned off all night, as last Thursday (8), in respect of Queen Elizabeth II, who died on the same day.