In order to double the production from renewable electric energies by 2030, the Head of State also called, from a nuclear turbine factory in Belfort, to multiply "by almost 10 the installed power" of solar energy "to exceed 100 gigawatt".

"We need to massively develop renewable energies", he said, "simply because it is the only way to meet our immediate electricity needs where it takes 15 years to build a nuclear reactor".

We must "have the honesty to recognize that we have fallen behind," added the quasi-candidate for president.

He notably questioned the multiplication of "regulatory layers" which "delayed the projects", evoking "five years of procedures" to create a solar park, and said he wanted to lift "all the regulatory barriers from the moment when projects will be accepted locally".

"A particular effort" will be devoted to solar "because it is less expensive and integrates more easily into the landscape", he detailed, "ensuring a fair balance between installations on the roof and those on the soils".

Emmanuel Macron gives a speech in Belfort, February 10, 2022 Jean-Francois Badias POOL / AFP

Another priority is offshore wind power, which is very late in France since the first wind farm is soon to come into service off Saint-Nazaire.

The very ambitious objective is to "aim for around 40 gigawatts in service in 2050, i.e. around fifty offshore wind farms", announced Emmanuel Macron.

"We will succeed by broadly associating all the actors of the sea, in particular the fishermen", he specified, considering that "the fight for the climate should never be done to the detriment of the preservation of biodiversity and in particular marine ecosystems and fisheries resources".

He also said he "understands the reluctance" linked to onshore wind turbines because "no one wants to see our remarkable landscapes or our classified sites damaged by large white blades".

For this, it is necessary to be "reasonable in the objectives" and "spread over time" the plan initially set for 2030, namely the doubling of the installed power of onshore wind turbines.

Emmanuel Macron also cited the need to continue investing in hydroelectric dams and thermal renewable energies, such as biomass and biogas.

The France 2030 plan "will devote one billion euros to innovation in renewable energies", he said.

© 2022 AFP