Système électrique

3 minutes

What French political framework to achieve carbon neutrality ?

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The French General Secretary for Ecological Planning (SGPE) is in charge of implementing ecological planning [1] and focuses on reaching carbon neutrality. This planning mainly includes the drawing up of a new road map of French governance on the climate, the French Strategy on Energy and Climate (SFEC), which is built upon four pillars :

  • “The planning law” [2] which, every five years, determines all the goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption, and sets targets for the development of renewable energy and low-carbon hydrogen, as well as those aimed at diversifying the electricity generation mix.
  • The National Low-Carbon Strategy (SNBC : Stratégie Nationale Bas-Carbone) [3]. The SNBC gives guidelines on how to implement the transition towards a low-carbon, circular and sustainable economy, in all sectors of activity. It defines the pathway to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions until 2050 and sets the short and medium-term goals : carbon budgets. It has two aims : to achieve carbon neutrality in France by 2050 and reduce imported emissions. The third version of the SNBC should be published shortly in compliance with the provisions of the law relative to the Energy Transition for Green Growth [4].
  • The Multi-Annual Energy Plan (PPE in French) [5]. The PPE gives guidelines and prioritises the actions of public authorities to manage all forms of energy. It contains sections related to guaranteeing the security of supply, the improvement of energy efficiency, the reduction of energy consumption, the promotion of the use of renewable energy and energy recovery and, lastly, the development of balanced networks, storage, the transformation of energies and the management of energy demand. In line with its National Low Carbon Strategy (SNBC), a third version of the PPE should be published shortly to cover the periods 2023-2028 and 2028-2033.

Content of the draft PPE of March 2025 :

The draft PPE, submitted for consultation in March 2025, sets out the following ambitious goals for decarbonised energy generation :

  • To implement a sharp increase in renewable energies : goals set for 2035 are from 65 to 90 GW for photovoltaic, more than 45 GW for onshore and 18 GW for offshore wind turbines (with plans to achieve more than 45 GW in 2050).
  • To increase the lifetime of the existing 56 nuclear reactors to beyond 50 or even 60 years, if they are deemed secure.

To give renewed impetus to the French nuclear sector by :

  • Confirming the plan to build six new EPR2 nuclear reactors and launching studies to build a further eight.
  • Developing small modular reactors (SMR).

To reach these goals, the laws aimed at stepping up the generation of renewable [6] and nuclear energies [7] that were adopted in 2023, simplify administrative procedures by facilitating investments and encouraging innovation.

  • The National Climate Change Impact Adaptation Plan (PNACC in French). The French PNACC aims at implementing the measures that are necessary for Metropolitan France and its overseas territories to adapt to regional climate
    change forecasts by 2050.

The SNBC, the PPE and the PNACC must be aligned with the planning law and are set by decree following public consultations.

Notes

[1] The SGPE acts under the authority of the Prime Minister, and its mission is to ensure the coherence and tracking of ecologically focused policies, to initiate and manage the mobilisation of ministries and stakeholders, and to coordinate all the negotiations so that the performance of any actions taken can be measured.

[2] Created by the 2019 law relative to energy and the climate, which was then added to in 2021 by the climate and resilience law, article L100-1 A of the French Energy Code stipulated that this law be published before 1 July 2023, which was not the case at the time this note was published.

[3] Article L222-1 B of the Environment code

[4] Law N°2015-992 of 17 August 2015 relative to the Energy Transition for Green Growth

[5] Articles L141-1 to L141-6 of the Energy Code

[6] The French Renewable Energy Acceleration law n° 2023-175 of 10 March 2023 (Law no. 2023-175 of 10 March 2023 on the acceleration of procedures relating to renewables energies).

[7] Law no. 2023-491 of 22 June 2023 on the acceleration of procedures relating to the construction of new nuclear facilities near existing nuclear sites and to the operation of existing facilities.