In a report on the next decade, French grid operator RTE said massive short-to-medium-term investments are needed in the power sector to minimize carbon emissions and continue the move from fossil fuels by 2050.
RTE said that oil and gas generate 60% of France’s electricity. The country imports carbon-intensive goods from gas-burning neighbors and has carbon-intensive transport and heating.
“To achieve climate and sovereignty ambitions in the medium term, nuclear power must be retained and renewables must be accelerated,” RTE added.
The grid operator advised building out renewable generation to 270–320 terawatt-hours (TWh) by 2035 from 120 TWh in 2023 to cease fossil fuel use.
The survey stated French power generation costs are anticipated to rise somewhat but remain low relative to system investments in the coming years.
Renewable production has high upfront expenses but low production costs, making ramp-up the most expensive.
The analysis advised French nuclear production to reach 400 TWh annually by 2035 and not dip below 360 TWh to meet climate goals.
The research identified four important levers to solve transition challenges: energy efficiency in transport, buildings, and industry, demand reduction, and nuclear and renewable power production.
“Adopting ambitious objectives for each (lever) constitutes the safest strategy to ensure the resilience of France’s energy system,” the research said, adding that disregarding one of the four would make climate goals difficult to achieve.
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