Dispatch from France | April '26
*** Our weekly Dispatches provide an overview of the most relevant recent and upcoming developments for the shift to climate neutrality in selected European countries, from policy and diplomacy to society and industry. For a bird's-eye view of the country's climate-friendly transition, read the respective 'Guide to'. ***
Stories to watch in the weeks ahead
- Implementation awaiting – The implementation of France’s multi-year energy programme and electrification plan (see below) is all the more urgent now that hopes of the Middle East crisis being contained have faded, highlighting European reliance on foreign imports of oil and gas. In response, some have warned against extending broad fuel subsidies, while others advocated for the structural reduction of fossil fuel consumption. Meanwhile, the Iran war and its extension into the wider region could cost France “at least 6 billion euros,” according to prime minister Sébastien Lecornu.
- Energy security – France and Morocco renewed their commitment to strengthen cooperation on energy security and climate change in late April. The meeting focused on accelerating the development of renewable energy sources and boosting emerging sectors like green hydrogen, as well as electricity interconnection projects. The agreement might be followed up in the coming months with concrete investment decisions or partnership announcements.
- Energy roadmap in danger? – Since its publication, several actions have been submitted to try and annul France’s new multi-energy energy roadmap (PPE3) amid claims of environmental and financial failures. Taxpayers association Contribuables Associés, for example, says that planned funding for renewables under the roadmap constitutes “an illegal tax,” as the text wasn’t approved by the lower house of parliament. The top French court has yet to rule on these complaints. The plan marks a clear policy shift by reaffirming nuclear power as the backbone of the electricity system, while cutting 2035 wind and solar expansion targets by around 20 percent, commented rating agency DBRS.
The latest from France – last month in recap
- Placating Trump – France, which in April hosted environment ministers from the Group of Seven (G7) nations, deliberately dropped climate change talks off the agenda to appease the Trump administration, which has multiplied attacks on environmental laws and withdrew the US from several international climate bodies. An adviser to French ecological transition minister Monique Barbut said the government had chosen “not to tackle the climate issue head-on” given Trump’s well-known position on the topic, opting instead to “focus on less contentious issues” in order to favour “a more pragmatic approach” and avoid “the risk of certain partners walking from the negotiating table”.
- Blown away from wind – On a related note, the Trump administration intends to pay French energy giant TotalEnergies one billion dollars to renounce two offshore wind leases for projects off the costs of North Carolina and New York. Environmental groups said the move to block wind power projects amounted to a “billion-dollar bribe”. The company’s CEO, Patrick Pouyanné, called it an opportunity to further develop fossil fuel activities, with the payment set to finance the construction of a liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant in Texas.
- Electrification in motion – The French government unveiled its long-awaited electrification plan, which followed its ten-year energy roadmap (PPE3, see above). It includes 22 measures to electrify the economy across the construction and transportation sectors and industry, with an extra 4.5 billion euros per year by 2030 to supplement the 5.5 billion euros already dedicated to electrification. Among the measures, France intends to speed up the installation of heat pumps, support major industrial decarbonisation projects, and extend the social leasing of electric vehicles (EVs) to 50,000 low-income households. Prime minister Lecornu said EVs should account for two thirds of new car sales by 2030.
- Fossil fuel exit roadmap – At the first Conference on Transitioning away from Fossil Fuels in Colombia, France presented a "roadmap" to wean the country off oil, gas and coal by 2050. The plan did not unveil any new pledges, but brought existing climate and energy policies and targets under one umbrella. NGOs lauded the plan, but they also said it followed “two years of backsliding”.
Juliette’s picks – highlights from upcoming events and top reads
- AI is a double-edged sword for Indigenous land protection, UN experts warn: For Mongabay, journalist Aimee Gabay dives into the contradictions of artificial intelligence which, on one hand, helps detect illegal logging and mining, track wildfires and monitor deforestation on Indigenous lands; but on the other it takes water, energy and minerals from the same territories in Brazil, Chad or Scandinavia.
- The ‘age of electricity’ is here. No one knows what comes next: Before the Middle East crisis once again underlined global dependence on fossil fuels this year, 2025 marked a historical turning point for global electricity demand, which grew faster than overall energy use. And there was enough new power generation to meet the demand, thanks to solar and wind, nuclear and hydropower. Will this trend stick? Grist writer Zoya Teirstein takes a closer look.
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