France losing out on renewables investment, Total and EDF bosses warn
Country’s laborious licensing process means firms are developing projects elsewhere in Europe
10 December 2024 - 15:38
byAmerica Hernandez and Benjamin Mallet
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TotalEnergries chair and CEO Patrick Pouyanne. File photo: AMIR ALFIKY/REUTERS
Paris — France must make it easier to develop solar, wind and battery projects or lose out to neighbours, the CEOs of French oil major TotalEnergies and state-owned EDF said at the French electricity union annual conference on Tuesday.
France plans a huge expansion in renewable energy, notably offshore wind, to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, but a slow licensing process and regulatory hurdles have left it trailing Germany and Britain.
It presently has two fully operational offshore wind farms together producing almost 1GW, and wants to reach 45GW by 2050.
EDF, in addition to operating France’s nuclear power stations and several hydroelectric dams, has 20.7GW of gross installed wind and solar capacity worldwide — but only about 3.2GW in France.
“It’s hell to invest in France for regulatory reasons ... The administrative delays just can’t be compared with what we experience in other parts of the world,” said CEO Luc Remont.
“And it’s not just renewables; it’s hell to connect an industrial user or a data centre to the electricity grid.”
For its part, TotalEnergies aims to reach 35GW of gross installed renewable capacity by next year and 100GW by 2030.
Of its present 27GW of gross installed renewable capacity only about 2GW is in France.
CEO Patrick Pouyanne said securing permits to build renewables was twice as fast in Germany, and that French taxes on batteries for renewable energy storage had led to Total having 200MW installed at home compared with 2GW in Germany.
“In the US, I built 2GW [of renewable capacity] in one year ... In France I’ve got 500 energy developers who manage to eke out 300MW-400 MW a year ... I can’t continue to invest and to have so many people costing me money for such a weak return.”
Bidding alone for offshore wind tenders in France takes 2.5-3 years on average.
“I don’t understand why we’re able to renovate Notre-Dame Cathedral in five years and unable to build solar or wind plants at the same pace in France,” Pouyanne said.
Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
France losing out on renewables investment, Total and EDF bosses warn
Country’s laborious licensing process means firms are developing projects elsewhere in Europe
Paris — France must make it easier to develop solar, wind and battery projects or lose out to neighbours, the CEOs of French oil major TotalEnergies and state-owned EDF said at the French electricity union annual conference on Tuesday.
France plans a huge expansion in renewable energy, notably offshore wind, to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, but a slow licensing process and regulatory hurdles have left it trailing Germany and Britain.
It presently has two fully operational offshore wind farms together producing almost 1GW, and wants to reach 45GW by 2050.
EDF, in addition to operating France’s nuclear power stations and several hydroelectric dams, has 20.7GW of gross installed wind and solar capacity worldwide — but only about 3.2GW in France.
“It’s hell to invest in France for regulatory reasons ... The administrative delays just can’t be compared with what we experience in other parts of the world,” said CEO Luc Remont.
“And it’s not just renewables; it’s hell to connect an industrial user or a data centre to the electricity grid.”
For its part, TotalEnergies aims to reach 35GW of gross installed renewable capacity by next year and 100GW by 2030.
Of its present 27GW of gross installed renewable capacity only about 2GW is in France.
CEO Patrick Pouyanne said securing permits to build renewables was twice as fast in Germany, and that French taxes on batteries for renewable energy storage had led to Total having 200MW installed at home compared with 2GW in Germany.
“In the US, I built 2GW [of renewable capacity] in one year ... In France I’ve got 500 energy developers who manage to eke out 300MW-400 MW a year ... I can’t continue to invest and to have so many people costing me money for such a weak return.”
Bidding alone for offshore wind tenders in France takes 2.5-3 years on average.
“I don’t understand why we’re able to renovate Notre-Dame Cathedral in five years and unable to build solar or wind plants at the same pace in France,” Pouyanne said.
Reuters
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