French government considers scaling back ambitions for solar and wind power

The French government will delay the release of its long-awaited 10-year energy plan and is likely to take into account criticism voiced during its debate in the French parliament at the end of April. Critics say the plan gives too much priority to the development of renewable energy sources. The international news outlet Argus reported.

The release of the new 10-year energy plan, which was originally due to be published in 2023, still seemed very likely last month. However, criticism in the French parliament, where Prime Minister Francois Bayrou does not have a majority, prompted the government to reconsider it.

Bayrou said the government would take several months to make its decision. The government’s approach to renewable energy will be reviewed, he said, suggesting that ambitions for the development of solar and wind power plants could be scaled back. Last year, they accounted for around 16% of France’s electricity generation. Nuclear power plants have traditionally been the main source of electricity, with a share of almost 70%.

During the parliamentary debate, Bayrou highlighted the main drawbacks of solar power plants, including the mismatch between electricity generation and consumption.

"To solve this problem, greater flexibility on the electricity demand side will be needed, for example through a planned tariff reform that will offer consumers lower electricity prices in the middle of the day, or through the development of energy storage," the prime minister said.

Public support is key

The cost question nevertheless remains open, according to the prime minister. He said that the production cost of rooftop solar power plants in France, which have dominated the development of these sources in recent years, is around 100 EUR/MWh, while large ground-mounted solar plants in Spain generate electricity for 40 EUR/MWh.

"However, it remains to be seen whether the public will accept large rural areas being covered by these low-cost solar farms. The development of onshore wind power must also be sensible, as public support for it declines as the number of installations grows," Bayrou added.

Bayrou also reiterated that the government fully supports extending the operating lives of existing nuclear power plants and building at least six new reactors by 2038.

The far-right National Rally (RN), however, is calling for greater ambitions for nuclear power development and is demanding the construction of at least 10 GW of new nuclear capacity by 2035, the modernisation of existing plants and an increase in the annual capacity factor of nuclear power plants to 80%. According to RN MP Maxime Amblard, the development of nuclear energy should be accompanied by a moratorium on the development of intermittent renewable energy sources, particularly wind power plants.