The 14-page strategy does not unveil any new commitments but consolidates existing French climate and energy policies into a single framework with defined timelines.

Fossil fuels accounted for slightly less than 60% of France’s final energy consumption in 2023, down from 65% in 2011, according to the roadmap. Although its extensive nuclear power plant fleet generates most of the country’s electricity, in other sectors, the country remains highly dependent on imported gas and oil, with over 95% of its fossil fuels sourced from abroad, leaving the economy exposed to geopolitical and price volatility, the document says. The roadmap targets a 40% reduction in fossil fuel use by 2030 and 30% by 2035, before reaching net zero by 2050.

Oil is France’s largest fossil fuel dependency, accounting for 38% of final energy consumption in 2024, with transport responsible for around two-thirds of use. Fossil gas accounts for 19%, mainly consumed in industry and buildings; while coal represents less than 1% of final consumption, and is mainly used for electricity generation and industry (85% of coal consumption).

Under the roadmap, France’s last two coal-fired power stations will close by 2027, enabling a full coal phaseout by 2030.

The more challenging transition concerns oil and gas consumption, particularly in transport, heating and industry.

To reduce oil demand, the government is relying heavily on transport electrification. It is aiming for two out of every three new cars sold in France to be electric by 2030, supported by expanded charging infrastructure and increased electrification of buses and heavy goods vehicles.

The roadmap also includes industrial targets to strengthen domestic electric vehicle (EV) manufacturing capacity, with French factories expected to produce 400,000 EVs annually by 2027 and one million by 2030. The objective is to avoid replacing dependence on imported oil with dependence on imported vehicles and technologies.

Public transport use is also expected to rise sharply, with a target for a 25% increase by 2030.

In buildings, the roadmap focuses on replacing fossil gas and oil heating systems with low-carbon alternatives. Installation of gas boilers in new residential and commercial buildings will be banned from the end of 2026, while government incentives will support deployment of heat pumps and energy efficiency upgrades. The aim is to install one million heat pumps annually by 2030. According to the roadmap, replacing gas demand with domestically produced energy could cut imports by around 20% (some 85 TWh) by 2030. The government also wants to reduce oil-fired boilers in residential buildings by 60% and in non-residential buildings by 85% by 2030. The goal is to phase out fossil oil for heating by 2035.

Alongside demand reduction measures, the strategy outlines a major expansion of low-carbon electricity generation and supporting infrastructure.

France plans to continue relying on nuclear energy as the backbone of its power system. That includes the construction of six new reactors based on a revised design of its EPR design, and lifetime extensions for existing plants. Nuclear currently supplies roughly two-thirds of French electricity generation.

Renewables deployment will also accelerate. Targets include reaching 15 GW of installed offshore wind capacity by 2035 (a 15-fold increase compared to 2017), adding 1.3 GW of onshore wind annually and tripling installed solar photovoltaic capacity by 2035.

The roadmap also calls for an additional 2.8 GW of hydropower capacity, including pumped-storage facilities, and deployment of up to 8 GW of electrolysers by 2035 to support domestic hydrogen production.

It is also planned to increase biomethane production sixfold and double biofuel consumption by 2035.

The government acknowledged that grid infrastructure will require substantial investment to accommodate rising electricity demand from transport, heating, industry and data centres while integrating larger volumes of variable renewable generation.

Environmental groups broadly welcomed the publication of explicit fossil fuel phase out dates, although some argued the roadmap lacked sufficient new policy measures. Speaking to the Agence France-Presse (AFP) news agency, Anne Bringault, Programmes Director at Climate Action Network France, said the government deserved credit for setting clear timelines after ‘two years of backsliding’ in ecological transition policies.

The roadmap was unveiled at the ‘First conference on transitioning away from fossil fuels’ in Santa Marta, Colombia, in late April. More than 50 nations had gathered for what was billed as the first international talks focused specifically on moving away from fossil fuels after the COP30 climate negotiations in Brazil.

France’s roadmap for transitioning away from fossil fuels can be viewed here.

Getting connected: two new wind farms commissioned offshore France
In other news, Ocean Winds (a 50:50 joint venture of Engie and EDP Renewables) has delivered two new wind projects offshore France.

The 500 MW Îles d’Yeu and Noirmoutier (EMYN) wind farm offshore the coast of Vendée, west France, is now fully operational following installation of the last of the project’s 61 turbines in late April.

At the same time, the Éoliennes Flottantes du Golfe du Lion (EFGL) floating wind farm (pictured), located 16 km off the coast of Port-la-Nouvelle in southern France, has produced first power to the French grid. Developed in partnership with Banque des Territoires, the project comprises three 10 MW turbines. Full capacity is expected in June. EFGL is the world’s first floating offshore wind farm to integrate artificial marine habitats, designed to promote biodiversity, according to Ocean Winds.

Meanwhile, Ocean Winds’ 500 MW Dieppe Le Tréport (EMDT) fixed-bottom offshore wind farm is currently under construction off the coast of Normandy, northern France. Due onstream by year-end, half of the jacket foundations and the offshore substation have already been installed at sea. The 250 MW Éoliennes Flottantes d’Occitanie (EFLO) floating offshore wind project in the Mediterranean Sea is also currently under development.