The French government’s draft energy roadmap for the next 10 years will double renewables capacity, but puts back a planned reduction in the share of nuclear generation in the country.
Under the proposals, onshore wind would more than double in capacity to 35.6GW, while offshore would rise to 5.2GW – a further 1.7GW on top of what is planned in the country’s first three rounds.
Solar capacity is set to triple by 2023 and almost quintuple by 2028 to 44.5GW. However, tidal and wave energy are not included in the plans.
Only two of France’s 58 nuclear reactors will be shut down in the first five-year period until 2023, when the roadmap will be revisited, after the next presidential election that is due to take place in 2022.
Up to six additional reactors could be switched off by 2030 and another 14 should be offline by 2035. But Paris said some of the closures will depend on the availability of alternative sources of electricity at low prices.
The government will also look into the possibility of launching a new nuclear programme based on EDF’s EPR reactor. A decision on the project will be made by mid-2021.
The construction of France’s first EPR reactor has already been delayed eight years, with the cost rising more than three times the original price.
France’s declared goal of reducing its nuclear generation share to 50% from 75% currently is being pushed back by 10 years to 2035.
The plans now need to be validated by various government bodies and are set to come into effect by mid-2019.