Energy in France

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CO₂ emissions:
267.15 million tons

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{{main|Electricity sector in France}}

File:France Electricity production 1981-2017 (EIA).png

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|image1=Nuclear Power Plant Cattenom.jpg

|alt1=Cattenom nuclear power station near Luxembourg

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|alt2=Wind turbines in Lower Normandy

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|alt3=The Cruas nuclear power plant at night

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• Left: The Cattenom nuclear power station near Luxembourg
• Right: Wind power in France; wind turbines in Lower Normandy
• Bottom: The Cruas nuclear power plant at night

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The electricity sector in France is dominated by nuclear power, which accounted for 72.3% of total production in 2016, while renewables and fossil fuels accounted for 17.8% and 8.6%, respectively.[https://opendata.rte-france.com/explore/dataset/prod_par_filiere/table/?sort=-annee National yearly power generation by source], Réseau de Transport d'Électricité (Electricity Transmission Network Company) Open Data. France has the largest share of nuclear electricity in the world. The country is also among the world's biggest net exporters of electricity. The French nuclear power sector is almost entirely owned by the French government and the degree of the government subsidy is difficult to ascertain because of a lack of transparency.Al Gore: Our Choice, A plan to solve the climate crises, Bloomsbury 2009 page 156

In 2010, as part of the progressive liberalisation of the energy market under EU directives, France agreed the Accès régulé à l'électricité nucléaire historique (ARENH) regulations that allowed third party suppliers access up to about a quarter of France's pre-2011 nuclear generation capacity, at a fixed price of €42/MWh from 1 July 2011 until 31 December 2025.{{cite web |url=https://fsr.eui.eu/regulated-access-to-incumbent-nuclear-electricity/ |title=Regulated Access to Incumbent Nuclear Electricity |author1=Stefan Ambec |author2=Claude Crampes |publisher=Florence School of Regulation, European University Institute |date=16 January 2019 |access-date=4 June 2020}}{{cite news |url=https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/EDF-terminates-nuclear-electricity-supply-contract |title=EDF terminates nuclear electricity supply contracts |publisher=World Nuclear News |date=3 June 2020 |access-date=4 June 2020}}{{cite book |chapter-url=https://thelawreviews.co.uk/edition/the-energy-regulation-and-markets-review-edition-8/1194446/france |title=The Energy Regulation and Markets Review |chapter=France |editor=David L Schwartz |author1=Fabrice Fages |author2=Myria Saarinen |publisher=Law Business Research |year=2019 |isbn=978-1-83862-032-5 |access-date=4 June 2020}}

{{main|Nuclear power in France}}

France uses nuclear to produce around 70% of its electricity needs from 56 active reactors in 2023. A 2014 plan to reduce the nuclear supply was reversed in 2019 and in 2022 plans to build six new reactors were announced.{{cite web |title=Nuclear Power in France |url=https://www.world-nuclear.org/information-library/country-profiles/countries-a-f/france.aspx |date=July 2023}}

France has 20 GW of installed capacity and supplies around 10% of France's electricity needs.{{cite web |title=Hydroelectric energy |url=https://www.edf.fr/en/the-edf-group/producing-a-climate-friendly-energy/doubling-the-share-of-renewable-energies-by-2030/hydroelectric-energy/hydroelectric-energy#:~:text=Hydroelectric%20energy%20is%20the%20primary,energy%20in%20the%20European%20Union. |access-date=11 August 2023}}

File:Germinon-51-éoliennes-A03.JPG

{{main|Renewable energy in France}}

Renewable energy includes wind, solar, biomass and geothermal energy sources.

In 2009 a target for 2020 was set of 23% of all energy used would be renewable energy, this was not met as only 19.1% was achieved. France was refusing to pay the possible €500 million penalty fine.

With growing installed wind and solar power capacity, on top of preexisting hydroelectric facilities, renewable energy rose to provide 26% of France's national electricity consumption in 2022.{{cite web|url=https://www.rystadenergy.com/news/low-carbon-key-to-french-energy-sovereignty|title=Low-carbon industries key to the renaissance of French energy sovereignty|publisher=Rystad Energy|date=2023-11-14|access-date=2023-12-07}}

Government policy aims to increase renewable energy use; in 2015, the French parliament passed a comprehensive energy and climate law that includes a mandatory renewable energy target requiring 40% of national electricity production to come from renewable sources by 2030.{{cite web|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-07-22/france-to-adopt-law-to-cut-nuclear-dependency-carbon-emissions|title=France to Adopt Law to Cut Nuclear Dependency, Carbon Emissions|author=Tara Patel|publisher=Bloomberg News|date=2015-07-22|access-date=2015-07-23}}

{{main|Solar power in France}}

In 2022 around 15.8 GW of Solar capacity was in operation, short of the 2023 target of 20 GW.{{cite web |title=Solar power in France: regulatory changes and market opportunities |url=https://www.pinsentmasons.com/out-law/analysis/solar-power-france-regulatory-market-opportunities |date=23 April 2023}}

{{main|Wind power in France}}

An ambitious target of 50 offshore wind farms with a capacity of 40 GW by 2050 has been set by the government, the first farm near St Nazaire came online in 2022, with the fourth offshore wind farm approved in March 2023, a 1 GW farm of 47, 300m tall, turbines off Normandy called Centre Manche 1, scheduled to come online in 2031.{{cite web |title=France makes progress on offshore wind, bottlenecks remain for onshore wind. Now needs to speed up both |url=https://windeurope.org/newsroom/news/france-makes-progress-on-offshore-wind-bottlenecks-remain-for-onshore-wind-now-needs-to-speed-up-both/ |date=18 April 2023}}

Biomass provides around 2% of electricity capacity.

{{Main|Électricité de France}}

Électricité de France (EDF) is the main electricity generation and distribution company in France. It was founded on 8 April 1946 as a result of the nationalisation of a number of electricity producers, transporters and distributors by the Communist Minister of Industrial Production Marcel Paul. Until 19 November 2004 it was a government corporation, but it is now a limited-liability corporation under private law (société anonyme). The French government partially floated shares of the company on the Paris Stock Exchange in November 2005,{{cite news|url=http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/11/21/business/edf.php|title=EDF shares fail to light up market|last=Bennhold|first=Katrin|date=21 November 2005|work=International Herald Tribune|access-date=2008-07-11}} although it retained almost 85% ownership at the end of 2007.{{cite web|url=http://investisseurs.edf.com/the-edf-group/edf-investors/stock-information/shareholding-policy-117065.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120709190130/http://investisseurs.edf.com/the-edf-group/edf-investors/stock-information/shareholding-policy-117065.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=9 July 2012|title=Shareholding policy|date=31 December 2007|publisher=Électricité de France|access-date=2008-07-11}}

EDF held a monopoly in the distribution, but not the production, of electricity in France until 1999, when the first European Union directive to harmonize regulation of electricity markets was implemented.Directive 96/92/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 December 1996 concerning common rules for the internal market in electricity ([http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CELEX:31996L0092:EN:HTML L27, 30.01.1997, p. 20])

EDF is one of the world's largest producers of electricity. In 2003, it produced 22% of the European Union's electricity, primarily from nuclear power:

• nuclear: 74.5%
• hydro-electric: 16.3%
• thermal: 9.1%
• wind power and other renewable sources: 0.1%

A report was published in 2011 by the World Energy Council in association with Oliver Wyman, entitled Policies for the future: 2011 Assessment of country energy and climate policies, which ranks country performance according to an energy sustainability index.{{Cite web |url=http://www.worldenergy.org/publications/3800.asp |title=World Energy Council |access-date=2011-11-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111120023843/http://www.worldenergy.org/publications/3800.asp |archive-date=2011-11-20 |url-status=dead }} The best performers were Switzerland, Sweden, and France.

File:CO2_Emissions_of_France.svg

In 2009, France detailed a carbon tax with a levy on oil, gas, and coal consumption by households and businesses that was supposed to come into effect on 1 January 2010. The tax would affect households and businesses, which would have raised the cost of a litre of unleaded fuel by about four euro cents (25 US cents per gallon). The total estimated income from the carbon tax would have been between €3 and 4.5 billion annually, with 55 percent from households and 45 percent from businesses.{{cite news |last=Saltmarsh |first=Matthew |date=23 March 2010 |title=France Abandons Plan for Carbon Tax |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/24/business/global/24iht-carbon.html |url-status=live |access-date=5 January 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110430005617/http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/24/business/global/24iht-carbon.html |archive-date=30 April 2011}} The tax would not have applied to electricity, which in France comes mostly from nuclear power.{{cite news |last=Puljak |first=Nadeje |date=10 September 2009 |title=Sarkozy unveils new French carbon tax |work=The Sydney Morning Herald |url=http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-world/sarkozy-unveils-new-french-carbon-tax-20090910-fjhw.html |url-status=live |access-date=10 September 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120920013153/http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-world/sarkozy-unveils-new-french-carbon-tax-20090910-fjhw.html |archive-date=20 September 2012}}

On 30 December 2009, the bill was blocked by the French Constitutional Council, which said it included too many exceptions.{{cite news |last=Kanter |first=James |date=30 December 2009 |title=Council in France Blocks a Carbon Tax as Weak on Polluters |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/31/business/energy-environment/31carbon.html |url-status=live |access-date=21 February 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190330072017/https://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/31/business/energy-environment/31carbon.html |archive-date=30 March 2019}} Among those exceptions, certain industries were excluded that would have made the taxes unequal and inefficient.[http://www.conseil-constitutionnel.fr/conseil-constitutionnel/francais/les-decisions/acces-par-date/decisions-depuis-1959/2009/2009-599-dc/decision-n-2009-599-dc-du-29-decembre-2009.46804.html Décision n° 2009-599 DC du 29 décembre 2009] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170129133449/http://www.conseil-constitutionnel.fr/conseil-constitutionnel/francais/les-decisions/acces-par-date/decisions-depuis-1959/2009/2009-599-dc/decision-n-2009-599-dc-du-29-decembre-2009.46804.html|date=29 January 2017}} French Constitutional Council {{in lang|fr}} They included exemptions for agriculture, fishing, trucking, and farming. French President Nicolas Sarkozy, although he vowed to "lead the fight to save the human race from global warming", was forced to back down after mass social protests led to strikes.{{cite news |last=Evans-Pritchard |first=Ambrose |date=23 March 2010 |title=France Ditches Carbon Tax as Social Protests Mount |work=The Telegraph |location=London |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/energy/7507015/France-ditches-carbon-tax-as-social-protests-mount.html |url-status=live |access-date=3 April 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200929014126/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/energy/7507015/France-ditches-carbon-tax-as-social-protests-mount.html |archive-date=29 September 2020}} He wanted support from the rest of the European Union before proceeding.{{cite news |last=Chrisafis |first=Angelique |date=10 September 2009 |title=Sarkozy Launches Carbon Tax to Help 'Save the Human Race' |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/sep/10/sarkozy-carbon-tax-france |url-status=live |access-date=11 December 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200813172504/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/sep/10/sarkozy-carbon-tax-france |archive-date=13 August 2020}}

In 2014, a carbon tax was implemented. Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault announced the new Climate Energy Contribution (CEC) on 21 September 2013. The tax would apply at a rate of €7/tonne {{CO2}} in 2014, €14.50 in 2015 and rising to €22 in 2016.[http://www.latribune.fr/journal/edition-du-2309/economie/786332/taxe-carbone-comment-ca-va-marcher.html Taxe Carbone: comment ça va marcher] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200804205311/https://www.latribune.fr/journal/edition-du-2309/economie/786332/taxe-carbone-comment-ca-va-marcher.html|date=4 August 2020}}, The Tribune, 23 September 2013. As of 2018, the carbon tax was at €44.60/tonne.{{cite web |title=State and Trends of Carbon Pricing 2018 |url=https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/bitstream/handle/10986/29687/9781464812927.pdf?sequence=5&isAllowed=y,%20ECOFYS |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180821193434/https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/bitstream/handle/10986/29687/9781464812927.pdf?sequence=5&isAllowed=y,%20ECOFYS |archive-date=21 August 2018 |access-date=5 December 2018 |publisher=World Bank}} and was due to increase every year to reach €65.40/tonne in 2020 and €86.20/tonne in 2022.[https://www.ecologique-solidaire.gouv.fr/fiscalite-des-energies Fiscalité des énergies] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200422052021/https://www.ecologique-solidaire.gouv.fr/fiscalite-des-energies|date=22 April 2020}} Ministère de la transition écologique et solidaire, 24 January 2018.

After weeks of protests by the "Gilets Jaunes" (yellow vests) against the rise of gas prices, French President Emmanuel Macron announced on 4 December 2018, the tax would not be increased in 2019 as planned.[https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/dec/05/france-wealth-tax-changes-gilets-jaunes-protests-president-macron Macron scraps fuel tax rise in face of gilets Jaunes protests] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200830151610/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/dec/05/france-wealth-tax-changes-gilets-jaunes-protests-president-macron|date=30 August 2020}}, The Guardian 5 December 20183.

Petroleum products accounted for 28.1% of energy use in France in 2022, having dropped from 37% in 1990 and 66% in the 1970's.{{cite web |title=Energy resources and market structure |url=https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/sites/5a3efe65-en/1/3/18/index.html?itemId=/content/publication/5a3efe65-en&_csp_=2ffa7a733148fec42dccf926d7619e1c&itemIGO=oecd&itemContentType=book#:~:text=In%202020%2C%20nuclear%20power%20accounted,country%27s%20energy%20use%20in%202020. |access-date=11 August 2023}}

{{Commons category|Energy in France}}

• History of France's civil nuclear program
• History of France's military nuclear program
• Electricity sector in France
• Nuclear power in France
• Renewable energy in France
• Électricité de France (EDF)

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