Energy plan: what are the government's four projects?

Laura Laplaud 9:56 a.m., June 14, 2022

During a trip to Belfort last February, President Emmanuel Macron announced that the new French energy strategy will be based on two pillars: renewable energies and nuclear power.

Guest of Europe Morning on Tuesday, Agnès Pannier-Runacher, the Minister for Energy Transition, called for a vote for the presidential majority in the second round of the legislative elections and clarified France's energy plan, which is very different from that carried by Jean -Luc Melenchon.

First project, energy sobriety

While France has made a commitment with the European Union to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, the French energy mix still comes at 60% from hydrocarbons.

In her plan for the energy transition, Agnès Pannier-Runacher provides four major projects which she details on Europe 1. "The first project is that of energy sobriety, it is a term that can be scary but it means, how we reorganize our modes of transport, work, collective heating to ensure that we consume less fuel, less natural gas, less fuel oil”, she explains.

Energy efficiency

"For equal use, you have a technique that allows you to consume less fuel or fuel oil."

If these investments are costly, the minister defends herself and certifies that the French will be accompanied by policies.

"Behind this new equipment, they will pay fewer bills, cheaper their energy, it's a winning issue for the planet but also a win for their wallet," she insists.

Develop renewable energies

The third project of the government is that of the development of renewable energies.

“We are going to need a lot more carbon-free energy,” says Agnès Pannier-Runacher.

"We need onshore wind power, offshore wind power, photovoltaics, geothermal energy, possibly tidal power, all that is renewable energy is good to take."

But the installation of some of these renewable energies sometimes makes the French cringe.

"You have advantages and disadvantages on each of these energies, it develops on a case-by-case basis with the inhabitants and the local elected officials", wishes to reassure the minister.

"You have to look at areas where you have land reserves, where you have the population's acceptability to accommodate new installations. Is it easier to accommodate photovoltaics? Photovoltaics takes square meters, hectares of land. Wind power is more concentrated, but more visible", she notes.

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Build new nuclear reactors

France now has 56 nuclear reactors.

In its energy plan, the government plans to build 14 new ones, including six by 2050. The construction of the first reactor will begin in 2028, for commissioning scheduled for 2035. "We will have more nuclear electricity, but as we will have developed a lot more renewable energies in relative proportion, we will rebalance our portfolio with probably less than 70% nuclear”, she certifies.