• A fine of 500 million euros is the amount that France will have to pay for not having kept its commitments in terms of renewable energies, according to the EELV mayor of Grenoble, Eric Piolle.

  • If France is indeed the only EU country not to have reached its renewable energy quota, these 500 million euros actually correspond to the future purchase of "statistical megawatts" from other European countries. in order to reach this quota.

Will France be sanctioned for its poor record in terms of renewable energies?

This is what the environmental mayor of Grenoble said on November 26 on France Inter.

"France will be sentenced and will pay a fine of 500 million euros, because it is the only European country not to have kept its commitments in terms of renewable energies", launched Eric Piolle, while Emmanuel Macron defends on YouTube his record on ecology.

FAKE OFF

As Eric Piolle points out, France is a very bad student: it has not reached the target of 23% renewable energies in its gross energy consumption in 2020, this share then amounting to 19.1% according to Eurostat, the European statistics body.

The other member countries have all achieved their targets, which were set in 2009. To reach these thresholds, some countries have however appealed to their neighbors, by buying renewable energy abroad, recalls Eurostat.

These 500 million euros mentioned by the mayor of Grenoble actually correspond to this mechanism allowing energy transfers.

This was explained by the Minister for Energy Transition, Agnès Pannier-Runacher, to the deputies on November 21, as spotted by

Liberation

.

“The fact of not having reached its objectives for the development of renewable energies obliges France to buy 500 million euros worth of statistical megawatts this year;

we are in negotiations with Italy and with Sweden on this subject”, launched the minister.

"Binding" objectives

Agnès Pannier-Runnacher had already mentioned this sum in October before the senators, without however specifying that it corresponded to the purchase of statistical megawatts, which could have given rise to confusion.

“France is the only country in the European Union not to have reached its national objective for the development of renewable energies, which will cost us 500 million euros this year,” she recalled.

If the text adopted in 2009 by the European Parliament and the European Council provides that these objectives are “binding”, it does not mention “fines”.

The European Commission could, however, impose a financial penalty on France, the amount of which is currently unknown, if it fails to achieve its renewable energy target via these purchases of megawatts, the cabinet of the Minister for

Liberation

.

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  • Renewable energies

  • Planet

  • Grenoble

  • Isere

  • Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes

  • Eric Piolle

  • Agnes Pannier-Runacher

  • fake-off