France Plans to Double Domestic Electricity Production Share
May 26, 20262 hours
Zachary Shahan
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Things have been a bit dicey in Europe and globally when it comes to energy. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine led to an existential energy conundrum on the continent. The European Union (EU) had been trying to “play nice” with Russia for years and make deals that involved buying Russian fossil fuels, hoping this would ease Russia into a more and more democratic and EU-friendly mode. However, the horrors of Russia’s Ukraine invasion led Europe to make a U-turn and try to cut its reliance on Russian energy. Then there’s the whole situation in the Middle East, where the US and Israel bombed Iran and Iran subsequently decided to block ships from carrying oil through the Straight of Hormuz.
France is now trying hard to counter these concerns and risks by focusing on a huge increase in its own electricity generation and shifting from technologies that rely on fossil fuels to ones that just need electricity. Furthermore, it already has thousands of companies on board to help with this.
“This is a major transformation plan involving 6,000 companies and will create or maintain more than 600,000 jobs,” Macron said. “It’s good for purchasing power, it’s good for competitiveness, it’s good for the country’s independence.”One overall aim is to double the amount of the country’s electricity that comes from domestic sources by 2030. At that point, France wants to be getting 60% of its electricity domestically. The country aims to double EV charging capacity, double electric radiator production, and produce a million heat pumps by 2030 as part of this.
“The government has said it will double state support to €10 billion a year through 2030 to reduce France’s dependence on imported fossil fuels and boost the share of electricity produced from nuclear power and renewable energy in power generation, heating, transportation, and industry,” Reuters reports.
Yes, this plan does involve shifting much more of the auto industry over to electric vehicles. Stellantis, for example, announced it would produce a new generation of EVs at its factory in Mulhouse, France (very near the border with Germany).
EDF is investing €240 million in order to accelerate electrification more broadly, switching people over to heat pumps, expanding heavy-duty electric trucking, and installing more EV chargers, for example.
As the energy industry shifts and evolves, there is tremendous opportunity for economic improvement through development of fast-growing industries, and by making more and more of the energy a country needs within its own borders. Thousands of jobs can be created, and trillions of dollars (or euros) can be kept within the country rather than being sent to oil and gas giants abroad that then use that money to buy your best football (soccer) teams, build the world’s tallest buildings and biggest real estate projects, “win” the rights to host FIFA World Cups, and corruptly buy politicians around the world. When there were no competitive alternatives to oil, gas, and coal, that would have been a pipe dream. In the 2020s, though, it’s not just possible; it’s highly logical. One of the best ways to improve a country’s economy is to dramatically increase electrification and homegrown clean energy production to power that electrification.
Featured image by Pete Linforth from Pixabay.
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