France must go “twice as fast” on the commissioning of renewable energy projects and must at the same time accelerate on nuclear in the face of the country’s electricity needs which will increase “by 40% by 2050”, President Emmanuel Macron said Thursday. “We are going to massively increase our electricity needs”, by “40% by 2050”, and France will need to go “twice as fast” on renewable energy projects” (ENR), said the President at the inauguration of the first French offshore wind farm, off Saint-Nazaire in Loire-Atlantique.
“Fifty offshore wind farms”
He confirmed the objective of installing “fifty offshore wind farms”, as well as “pursuing wind power on land”, in particular thanks to a reduction in the time for examining files which must remain “compatible” with the preservation of biodiversity and the taking into account of contentious appeal procedures. The procedures will also have to speed up on nuclear power, said the president, who announced last February the order for six new generation reactors, called EPRs.
“I announced the first tranche in 2035 for nuclear power. What I want is for us to go much faster,” he said. An audit published in February mentioned the 2037 horizon for the first commissioning. “We can go much faster if we simplify things, so we will be in the same logic on nuclear,” he said.
“The key in terms of energy is the diversification of the model”
“All ENR does not work, all nuclear does not work”, justified Emmanuel Macron. “And what we are going through today with the war, which some neighbors like the Germans are going through even more, is that the key in terms of energy is the diversification of the model”. He also promised better “value sharing” for renewable projects with communities and local residents, which will primarily concern offshore wind turbines, which are often disputed.
“In nuclear, there is a real return for the municipalities, which has helped with acceptability, we must do the same for renewable energy projects”, said Emmanuel Macron. Among the avenues for solar development, the Head of State mentioned “the release of land” to install more panels on wasteland, citing the edges of highways and railways, but also some agricultural land with the agrovoltaism.