28 Jul 2025, 10:30
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France

CLEW Guide – Government turmoil casts doubt over France's transition progress

Focused on the deployment of new nuclear reactors and renewal of its ageing fleet, France still lags far behind other EU member states when it comes to expanding its renewable sources. Whether the pace of the rollout is too slow for some, or the targets not ambitious enough for others, EU authorities are keeping France under close watch. Meanwhile, following the collapse of the previous government at the end of 2024, political turmoil prevails under prime minister François Bayrou, caught in the midst of controversial discussions over the country's energy strategy for the next decade. [UPDATES on key background; major transition stories]
Photo shows climate protesters in Paris, France. Photo by Mat Napo on Unsplash.
Photo by Mat Napo on Unsplash.

With its “CLEW Guide” series, the Clean Energy Wire newsroom and contributors from across Europe are providing journalists with a bird's-eye view of the climate-friendly transition from key countries and the bloc as a whole. You can also sign up to the weekly newsletter here to receive our "Dispatch from..." – weekly updates from Germany, France, Italy, Croatia, Poland and the EU on the need-to-know about the continent’s move to climate neutrality.

 

Content:

  1. Key background
  2. Major transition stories
  3. Sector overview

 

*** Please note: You can find a full dossier exploring Franco-German approaches to climate and energy policy and effects on the EU here.***

Key background

  • Under the government of new prime minister Francois Bayrou, the word “climate” has disappeared from the title of the Minister for Ecological Transition, Agnès Pannier-Runacher. The subject of energy, which was her responsibility, has now been entrusted to the Ministry of the Economy and Finance. Bayrou’s general policy speech on 14 January was judged by many analysts to be extremely weak on ecological and climate issues. His predecessor Barnier – a pro-nuclear policy advocate and wind power critic from the conservative The Republicans (LR) party – had been appointed prime minister on 5 September but did not last long, with his government collapsing two months later over a budget row. Bayrou's new government managed to adopt a new budget in February 2025 by decree and survived a following vote of no-confidence despite lingering objections to the government's financial planning.

  • The snap election in 2024 took many of president Emmanuel Macron's political allies and enemies in France and Europe by surprise and opened the door to what could have become the country’s first far-right government led by the populist Rassemblement National (RN) party. However, RN only came in 3rd, while a new alliance on the left (New Popular Front) came in first, which is in favour of the ecological and climatic transition, although their leaders can be divided on the means and in particular the role of nuclear power.

  • France, like all other EU member states, is heavily reliant on fossil fuels, which accounted for almost half of its primary energy consumption in 2023, with oil accounting for 30 percent and natural gas for 13 percent. Coal plays a minor role. Nuclear energy accounted for about 40 percent, renewables for 16 percent. Primary energy production in 2023 was 13.3 percent higher than in 2022, due in particular to the rebound in nuclear production. Energy-related CO2 emissions have fallen (-5.9%), mainly due to a very significant drop in the consumption of fossil fuels, particularly natural gas. Primary production of renewable electricity rose sharply (+27.4%), due to a significant increase in installed capacity and more favourable weather conditions.
  • Greenhouse gas emissions stopped falling in France. They were virtually stable (+0.2%) in the first quarter of 2025 and might fall only by 0.8 percent until the end of the year, according to provisional data from the French environment ministry’s independent emissions reporting organisation Citepa. If confirmed, this would be the lowest annual reduction since 2018 (excluding the post-Covid-19 rebound), and totally insufficient to meet climate targets of carbon neutrality in 2050. In its annual report, the French High Council for the Climate regrets that the pace of decarbonization had already “slowed considerably” in 2024.

  • In 2023, France's primary energy production increased by 13 percent compared to the previous year, making it a net exporter of electricity. The increased energy production came about thanks to a recovery in nuclear power generation and a surge in renewable energy. After being Europe's largest net power importer in 2022 on the back of unstable nuclear output, France became the biggest net exporter in 2023, showing its role as a key electricity producer in the 27-member bloc. With 89 terawatt hours (TWh) of electricity exports in 2024, France beat its previous all-time record of 77 TWh set in 2002. But the rise in renewable installations means that nuclear's share of installed power generation capacity has fallen below 40 percent

  • With around two thirds of France’s electricity being produced by nuclear power, the emissions intensity of the country’s energy sector is lower than those of several other European countries, such as Germany.
  • A combination of infrastructural issues at its nuclear power plants and the energy crisis pushed the government to move ahead with legislation to quicken the deployment of renewables and accelerate the construction of new nuclear reactors. In January 2024, the French government said that the country needed to build more than 14 new nuclear plants – compared to the six planned so far. EDF has said that each could be built within 6 years.
  • The roadmaps which together constitute France’s future energy and climate strategy – that is to say its low-carbon national strategy (SNBC), the PPE 2024-2035, the new planning law (LPEC) and the country’s adaptation plan to climate change (PNACC) – were expected to be adopted mid-2024. In October 2024, former prime minister Michel Barnier eventually presented the French government's first multi-year strategy for financing the ecological transition (Spafte). However, its national low-carbon strategy must still be updated. The government came under fire when it said that it would postpone the inclusion of renewable energy goals in its proposals.
  • Experts found that France’s renewable deployment pace was too slow to meet EU rules. EU energy commissioner Kadri Simson urged France in February 2024 to “significantly raise its ambition on renewable energy sources to at least 44 percent” regarding gross final energy consumption by 2030 and specify clear targets in its National Climate and Energy Plan.
  • The fallout from the massive blackout which hit Spain, Portugal and parts of southern France shows no sign of abating. The rapid growth of wind and solar power in France – coupled with stagnating demand for electricity in the country – is increasingly raising concerns over grid stability and potential negative prices in the future. This has prompted calls from experts and politicians to moderate the development of renewables or even stop their rollout.
  • Launched in 2021, the country’s 54-billion-euro investment plan, France 2030, aims at improving the competitiveness of its industry, encourage investments and innovation and support the low-carbon transition, amid other priorities. The government plans to invest half of its France 2030 programme aimed at improving its industrial competitiveness for the energy and ecological transition mainly to decarbonise its economy. According to a survey by Business France, the nation maintained last year its economic attractiveness to international investors, who poured money into 205 projects that directly aimed at decarbonising its economy.
  • France adopted a green industry bill in autumn, which aims at increasing finance for the green industry, facilitate and accelerate the setup of new industries, and develop brownfield sites, as well as making public procurement greener. A green industry investment tax credit (C3IV) was also created as part of the package.
  • Following a series of heatwaves, floods, wildfires and droughts in recent years, France rebooted its climate change impacts adaptation strategy to include proposals for adaptation to 4 degrees Celsius of warming, the sign that the government is ready to prepare for the worst.
Graph shows France's greenhouse gas emissions by sector from 1990-2021. Graph: CLEW/Narawad.
Graph: CLEW/Narawad.

Major transition stories

  • Fossil fuels – According to data by French NGOs Data for Good and Éclaircies, France is Europe’s largest supporter of “carbon bomb” extraction projects, and – with 154 billion dollars – behind only China and the United States globally.
  • Energy sufficiency – Following on from national efforts to save energy and avoid power cuts during the winter 2022, the government proposed an energy sobriety plan across all sectors to ensure further savings (e.g. higher penalties for high-emitting vehicles, speed reductions on highways, or limiting interior temperatures in buildings). However, France cut 1 billion euros of funds from an energy-sufficiency renovation scheme in early 2024.
  • Climate activism - In a report published on July 3, 2025, the NGO Amnesty International denounced “the repression of environmental and climate activists” in France. It is concerned about “growing attacks” on freedom of expression, demonstration and association, and their “dissuasive” effects on climate action. Climate protests in France have been deemed more radical than in neighbouring countries, , especially violent protests over megabasins in early 2023.

  • Nuclear power Climate change creates challenges to the nuclear sector: As heat waves are increasingly affecting France, state-owned energy supplier EDF tries toadaptits nuclear power plants to global warming. At the beginning of July 2025, the national electricity company had to shut down a reactor at Golfech (Tarn-et-Garonne), to limit hot water discharges into the Garonne river. Both the French safety authority and the Cour des Comptes are urging the company to speed up its adaptation.
  • EU competition rules - Hydropower is still France's second-largest source of electricity, accounting for almost 14% of production in 2024. In 2015 and 2019, the European Commission opened two legal proceedings against France for non-compliance with competition rules. Brussels is demanding that the major French dams be opened up to competition, but EDF (which operates the majority of the country's concessions) is objecting.A new parliamentary report published in May 2025 proposes solutions to this dispute.
  • Power prices -In July 2025, the French Energy Regulatory Commission (CRE) published its report on the monitoring and operation of the wholesale electricity and gas markets. 2024 confirms the end of the energy crisis of 2022-2023, with wholesale market prices lower than in 2023. French prices remain among the lowest in Europe (with an average price of €34/MWh, against 40 in 2023 and 113 in 2022).
  • Climate investmentsAfter rising steadily since 2020, public and private climate-related investments fell in France in 2024 said the Institut de l'économie pour le climat (I4CE), which points to a 5% drop compared to 2023. In 2024, 102.2 billion euros were spent in France on climate-related projects, compared with 107.7 the previous year. The decline was particularly marked in the real estate, renewable energies and transport sectors.
  • Sustainable finance – In October 2023, French legislators backed away from compulsory “Say on Climate” measures which were part of the government’s green industry bill adopted in autumn and would have made France the first country worldwide to require listed companies to consult their shareholders on their climate strategies through such resolutions.

 

Sector overview

Graph shows France's energy consumption by source 1990-2022. Graph: CLEW/Narawad.
Graph: CLEW/Narawad.

Energy

  • The sector is responsible for about 11 percent of total GHG emissions.
  • In 2023, the electricity mix was made up of almost 92 percent decarbonised production (65% nuclear, 15% solar and wind, 12% hydro). (Here you can find electricity production by sector in real time.)
  • After recording historic losses due to numerous shutdowns at its nuclear plants that sent France’s output to a 33-year low in 2022, state-owned utility firm EDF bounced back with a 10-billion-euro net profit in 2023, fuelled by a substantial hike in nuclear generation.
  • Former French energy minister Agnès Pannier-Runacher’s new European alliance of nuclear countries could together have a nuclear power plant capacity of up to 150 GW capacity by 2050. France, which signed in January a long-term nuclear cooperation deal with Sweden to facilitate the construction of new reactors, reiterated calls for the EU executive to put nuclear power on an equal footing with renewables in the bloc’s policies at a time when the country plans to build at least six new reactors. At home, utility firm EDF and the government reached a deal that will allow the group to sell its nuclear power at around 70 euros/MWh after the existing 42 euros/MWh Arenh rate expires in 2026.
  • In November 2023, the the now-collapsed Barnier government opened its draft energy and climate roadmap to public consultation. On 10 July, 2024, the government officially transmitted the final update of its National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP) to the European Commission. Among the main points, France plans the phase out of fossil fuels. The last coal-fired power plant will be closed or converted to low-carbon solutions by 2027. France aims to reduce overall fossil fuel consumption by a factor of 2 by 2030 and 3 by 2035 compared to 2012.
  • France’s upcoming multiannual energy plan (PPE) is expected to set the following objectives: a reduction in national energy consumption by 30 percent by 2030 from 2012 levels, and by 40 to 50 percent by 2050 from 2021 levels; an exit from coal in 2027 and from fossil fuels in 2050; and an increase in electricity output by 10 percent in 2030 and by 55 percent in 2050, as well as the doubling of low-carbon heat production by 2035 from 2021 levels. 

    Bayrou is heading for another period of turmoil by trying to adopt the new energy strategy that will guide the government’s policy for the next decade, also known as the third multi-year energy programme. He is caught between right-wing parties calling for an increase in nuclear ambition and the left looking to push for renewables production. Meanwhile, stakeholder input to a recent public consultation on the text led to strong criticism, including from the French Academy of Sciences, which deems the report incoherent.

  • When it comes to low-carbon energy sources, the government plans to hike solar power capacity from 16 GW currently to 54-60 GW in 2030 and 75-100 in 2035; for onshore wind, from 21 GW currently to 33-35 GW in 2030 and 40-45 GW in 2035; for offshore wind, from 0.5 GW currently to 4 GW in 2030 and 18 GW in 2035. For biogas, an increase from 10.5 TWh/year currently to 50 TWh in 2030 and 50-85 TWh in 2035 is planned. Hydroelectric capacity is set to be raised from 26 GW currently to 29 GW in 2035; for renewable heating and cooling, from 183 TWh currently to 299 TWh in 2030 and 330-421.5 TWh in 2035. In total, France expects to produce 560 TWh of decarbonised electricity annually between 2030 and 2035, against 463 TWh currently. Total final energy consumption should hit 1,209 TWh in 2030 and some 1,100 TWh in 2035, against 1,611 TWh in 2021.

  • France wants to become a leader in low-carbon hydrogen production. The upcoming energy plan PPE could set a target for 6.5 GW of electrolysers installed in 2030 and 10 GW in 2035. The government previously said that it planned to subsidise green hydrogen production with 700 million euros and introduce tenders for new electrolysis development in 2024. Industry experts have however warned that lower power prices would be needed.
  • The government also renewed its focus on electrifying transport with incentives to promote electric car use. Under the new 2025 budget, combustion engine and hybrid cars will be taxed more heavily, and battery electric vehicles will receive less assistance.
  • In 2023, France overtook Sweden as the largest net exporter of power in Europe, at 50.1 TWh net exports. In 2022, the country was the largest net power importer due to an unstable nuclear output.
  • France’s two remaining coal-fired plants, which the country fired back up last year will operate until the end of 2024 for 500 hours more than the 1,300-hour ceiling initially authorised in order to avoid winter blackouts. This is permitted by a relaxation of GHG standards. The government plans to convert these to biomass plants by 2027. EDF has confirmed the closure of the Cordemais coal-fired power plant in Loire-Atlantique in September 2024.
  • In the Barnier government, Agnès Pannier-Runacher had been appointed minister for the ecological transition, energy and climate. The former energy transition minister succeeded Christophe Béchu. Her responsibilities included the adaptation plan and the country's third national low-carbon strategy.

Industry

Buildings

Mobility

Agriculture

Land use, land-use change and forestry (LULUCF)

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