Nuclear power generation in France continues to recover, EDF raises targets

Nuclear power generation in France has recovered significantly over the past two years after plunging below 300 TWh a year in 2022. At the end of last week, French utility EDF revised its generation targets for this year and next. These are still relatively conservative, however, compared with management’s plans to increase nuclear output to 400 TWh a year. Thanks in part to the recovery in nuclear generation, France is exporting very large volumes of electricity, with exports reaching a new record last year.

France’s nuclear sector had a strong year last year, with generation recovering to levels comparable to 2021. Generation from nuclear power fell in 2021 and especially in 2022, primarily due to extensive outages related, among other things, to stress corrosion and inspections of numerous welds. In 2024, however, nuclear generation in France recovered strongly, exceeding 361 TWh. This was more than 80 TWh higher than in 2022, a figure greater than total electricity generation in Czechia.

EDF expects another strong year for its French nuclear power plants, with help from the recently commissioned Flamanville 3 unit. Last week, the company according to Reuters slightly raised its targets for this year and next to 350–370 TWh. It had previously forecast 335–365 TWh for both years.

"We could have expected nuclear generation to continue rising. My understanding is that there is still a considerable amount of work to be done on the nuclear fleet, which explains these conservative forecasts," Nicolas Goldberg of Colombus Consulting said, according to Reuters.

EDF management nevertheless aims to increase nuclear generation in France to as much as 400 TWh. Goldberg also described the current target as conservative for this reason.

Strong generation drove record exports

Thanks to the recovery in nuclear generation, France reinforced its position last year as Europe’s largest electricity exporter. France’s net electricity exports reached 89 TWh last year, the highest figure on record. The previous record for net exports was set in 2002, at 77 TWh. In addition to nuclear power, very strong hydropower generation also contributed to last year’s record exports.

Strong overall electricity generation in France also contributed to negative prices on the country’s day-ahead market. Some experts say that one of the main causes in this case is generous support for renewable energy sources. This does not incentivise operators of these sources to curtail their output. Another factor is the influence of neighbouring countries that are also experiencing negative prices, such as Germany and the Netherlands.