The French government has announced that the country will phase out coal by 2027 by converting its remaining two coal-fired power plan to biomass. A project to convert the 1.2 GW Cordemais power plant in Loire-Atlantique (western France) is already underway and its operator EDF will continue to operate the coal-fired plant until at least 2024 and until the commissioning of the EPR reactor at Flamanville. The 600 MW Emile Huchet power plant operated by GazelEnergie, an affiliate of Czech energy group EPH, in Saint-Avold (eastern France), which was temporarily reopened in 2022 due to energy supply concerns, will also be transformed into a biomass facility. France was initially planning to phase out coal-fired generation in 2022. Coal-fired generation accounted for around 1% of the country’s electricity mix in 2022, which is dominated by nuclear power (62% in 2022).
In addition, the government has stated that there will be no ban on installing new gas boilers, particularly in rural areas where alternatives may be limited. However, households are encouraged to switch to heat pumps for energy efficiency and emissions reduction.
Finally, fuel distributors are encouraged to sell gasoline at cost in response to concerns about rising fuel prices. A limited fuel subsidy for workers is expected to return, though details are yet to be finalised.
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