France has the highest share of low-carbon generation among the 15 countries analysed – at more than 90% – and consequently the lowest CO2 intensity of power generation. Overall, the increase of electrification (largely due to 2020’s effect) was in line with the increase in the share of low-carbon generation sources. France has the highest share of nuclear power in the world, at more than two-thirds of total generation in 2020, while it increased the share of renewables-based generation to almost 24%. Over the period, the country saw one of the strongest decreases of CO2 intensity – by more than one-third – from 2010 to 2020, mainly by reducing coal-fired generation by almost 80% with respect to the 2010 level.
Several policies and targets at European and national level underpin the goal to achieve the European Union’s net zero ambition by 2050 (EC, 2019) – the main overarching ones include: targets for 2030 (EC, 2020), the REPowerEU (EC, 2022) measures, the provisions of the national recovery and resilience plan (Government of France, 2021), and the national energy plan (Government of France, 2020). Achieving greater electrification in France will require stepping up efforts, changing direction in the transport and industry sectors, and exploiting the vast potential available in each sector (Table 5.6.A and Figure 5.6.A). Significant additional efforts will be needed to increase low-carbon power generation, as the decarbonisation of the last percentage points of the mix can be more challenging, while ensuring affordability and security of electricity supply.