The French government has cut its offshore wind targets in favour of nuclear power.
The so-called PPE3 energy plan was published today and sets out France’s energy strategy for the period 2026-2035 on the path towards carbon neutrality by 2050.
Although the PPE3 continues the development of offshore wind in France, the target of 15GW for 2035 is lower than the original 18GW set out in the plan.
On onshore wind, the government said it will focus on the repowering of existing wind farms to increase their capacity and protect the environment.
It has an onshore wind target of 31GW in 2030, 35-40GW in 2035, against about 24 GW in 2025.
Nuclear was a winner with the construction of six EPR2s for first commissioning from 2038, an option for eight additional EPR2s, the consolidation and extension of the 57 existing reactors and an optimisation of the fleet aiming to produce 380TWh from 2030.
Hydropower was also strengthened with a 2.8GW increase in dam capacity including an additional 640MW on existing concessions.
Work on the PPE 3 began in 2022 but its publication has been delayed due to the political turmoil in France over the last few months including the departure of Prime Ministers and growing anti-renewables call from far-right parties.