France unveils new details on its future energy-climate strategy

The French government has received around a hundred proposals for its energy-climate strategy, which were submitted by various working groups, encompassing a wide range of initiatives aimed at reducing carbon emissions, increasing energy efficiency and sufficiency, and securing the nation's energy independence with the overarching objective to reach carbon neutrality by 2050. These proposals will shape France's energy strategy, to be implemented through legislation and regulatory measures. The multi-year energy programming project (PPE) will be open for public consultation in the coming weeks, followed by an energy and climate bill.

While not all proposals will become law, some ambitious ones include a minimum 30% reduction in final energy consumption by 2030 compared to 2012 and a 40% reduction in energy consumption by 2040 compared to 2012. Another goal is to produce at least 640 TWh of decarbonised electricity by 2035, a significant leap from the current level of nearly 400 TWh, by increasing solar development to 5.5 GW/year (aiming for 7 GW/year) and expanding onshore wind power by 1.5 GW/year from 21 GW to 40-45 GW by 2035.

In addition, the country is expected to restore availability of existing reactors and initiate studies on power increase for certain reactors and the continuation of operations beyond 50 and 60 years, aiming for an annual nuclear production of 400 TWh by 2035 (compared to 280 TWh in 2022). France should also launch a programme for the development of six EPR2 reactors, with a decision expected on the construction of an additional eight EPR2 reactors by 2026. Finally, the plan includes the deployment of 6.5 GW of electrolysis capacity by 2030, followed by a significant expansion to reach at least 10 GW by 2035.