From the GWPF: French Socialists Follow Germany, Shift Away From Nuclear To Renewables
Via Agency France-Press: France on Wednesday unveiled a much-anticipated bill to reduce the country’s dependency on nuclear energy and fossil fuels, after months of intense debate over one of the Socialist government’s pet projects. Experts estimate it will cost the country between 15 and 30 billion euros in investments every year until the so-called “energy transition” is completed.
The planned law, presented to the cabinet by energy and environment minister Segolene Royal, seeks to make France a greener country and reduce the nation’s energy bill.
The bill is a chance “to develop new technologies, clean transport, energy efficiency and therefore to improve companies’ competitiveness,” Royal told reporters after the cabinet meeting.
It aims to cut the country’s final energy consumption in half by 2050 and reduce the use of fossil fuels by 30 percent by 2030, in comparison with 2012 when Francois Hollande was elected president.
It also looks to reduce France’s huge dependency on nuclear energy for electricity from 75 percent to 50 percent — one of Hollande’s campaign promises — and to increase the use of renewables.
The bill lays out scores of measures including an obligation to make buildings and houses more energy efficient during renovations and installing seven million charging stations for electric cars over the next 15 years.
The bill, which still has to go through a long parliamentary process, was the subject of an intense nine-month debate as companies, NGOs, lawmakers and unions each fought their corners.
Experts estimate it will cost the country between 15 and 30 billion euros in investments every year until the so-called “energy transition” is completed.
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This part didn’t really register the fisrt time I read it.
“It aims to cut the country’s final energy consumption in half by 2050”
So they are apparently planing on ultra high energy prices and rolling blackouts. What you might call the California model of energy production.
Look for those with the ability to leave, start looking for the means to do so.
Energy costs to skyrocket. Energy reliability to plummet to third world levels.
What’s not to love.
The French are renowned, especially in England as being able to bring the country to a standstill in a fraction of a second. Once the energy costs start soaring and the money they lose providing electricity to the UK and other countries disappears then perhaps the government will listen to their people.
At the recent EU polls in France, the winners were the right wing National Front.
A law like this should also make the UK government start to think where they are going to get electricity during high demand when the lights have gone off in Paris.
The emperor has got no clothes and it wont be long before he realises.
Um, 7 million electic car charging stations? For a poluation of 66 million…
So that’s a charging point for almost every family. Perhaps they plan to charge their electric cars (which they do not yet possess, and which with current technology would have a range of < 100 miles with their lights and heaters/aircon turned off) at their homes using their domestic mains supply.
I wonder how they plan to supply all that charging demand on windless nights.
Can't quite see this working out…
History shows that La Belle does not always do what la Belle says she will do.
Vive la famme!
The UK currently imports approx 12 Billion KwH’s from France each year.
http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/Country-Profiles/Countries-T-Z/United-Kingdom/
Imagine how this scaling back of reliable French nuke electricy is going to effect their export customers.
The UK really better get is power generator house in order.
Good. Unlike Max the Francophobe, I love everything French. I’ve been trying to buy a house there for years. If they can just bring the economy down, I’ll be able to afford it.
Another factor here is that it will create jobs in the short term, something that the French socialist govt needs badly. But watermelons never seem to think about competitiveness, presumably a dirty word at their dinner parties.
We in the UK can’t crow though, we’ve just had a visit from the Chinese prime minister. Some might have thought that they would be looking to buy high technology from the UK. Think again, the UK needs to buy nuclear reactors from China, and will probably also need training on how to operate them.
This:
“…cut the country’s final energy consumption in half by 2050”
Coupled with”
“Experts estimate it will cost the country between 15 and 30 billion euros in investments every year until the so-called “energy transition” is completed.”
Makes the entire effort an exercise is stupidity. Not to mention trying to get the power for 7 million charging stations.
[snip – your are welcome to resubmit your comment without the hateful language -mod]
Aren’t French electrical exports making green economies possible in surrounding countries? France may only need half her electricity for domestic purposes.
Les morons. After all the experience of Spain, Germany and Ontario
No wonder GE and MHI want to buy Alstroms nuclear generation assets. The French don’t want them any more. Great socialist plan for further increasing French unemployment.
Ironic- on the same day that Cameron at 10 Downing Steet welcomed the Chinese nuclear power CEO and signed an agreement for two Chinese built 1.6 GW nuclear plants to be errected at Hinkley Point.
I’ll guarantee that this 30 year French energy transition program or whatever will never be completed before a change in politics occurs. Less than two years ago, the French announced
a 30 year program to replace all of their nuclear plants, half with conventional and half with fast reactors(to burn their nuclear wastes). Areva is a French nuclear build/supply/etc company that has been one of the major nuclear players.
And any attempt to build out electric charging networks at this point had better stop and wait to see what happens with respect to the new Ryden dual core battery technology just unveiled – those batteries promise recharge rates 20 times faster than current technology, which means the chargers should be roughly 20 times more powerful. We in this country have built some govt funded public charger stations (VERY expensive) that are already hopelessly obsolete because of the Tesla supecharger stations, which themselves are probably on the verge of becoming obsolescent because of the Ryden cells. This happens over and over – govts getting ahead of the technology and causing big, unnecessary expenditures – air pollution controls on gas powered cars being a case in point. Govt officials are such children.
Doug:
Good. Unlike Max the Francophobe, I love everything French. I’ve been trying to buy a house there for years. If they can just bring the economy down, I’ll be able to afford it.
YOU ARE CRUEL, but FUNNY! Vivala De’ Doug!
Coming soon, real life Les Miserables in the 21st century.
Now be kind to the French. The US Administration is blissful engineering the elimination of the US energy system(s). Neither nation’s government seems to be concerned what their citizens think is good for the individual. The West has moved beyond social/socialist democracies and now is heading into social/socialists totalitarianists.
Orders from Bilderberg.
Did I miss a story? When did France legalize pot? Or perhaps members of the government have immunity for drug offences? Vivre la folie!
People who worry France will suffer from this law are a bit premature. All the workers for the companies which are going to build the renewable power plants to replace nuclear will go on strike regularly, drawing out the replacement process for decades.
The Chinese aren’t making any “green” energy plans. They will just continue to use their cheap power and dominate the Frances of the world economically.
Won’t wash – French enjoy their nightlife too much, all that gorgeous finery needs nuclear powered lighting to show up to full effect…
1. France decommissions many of its nuclear power points in favour of solar and wind, destroying a once beautiful countryside.
2. Energy prices soar, intermittent black outs occur, the economy does a face plant, and people die during particularly cold and hot days.
3. In a panic, the French build coal and natural gas power plants (because nuclear power plants take too long to build), increasing their CO2 emissions beyond what it was under nuclear power.
Most of this I didn’t even have to make up. Deja vu…
I read the Al Gore RS piece, linked to above. Thank you, dipchip. It was all assertions and buried assumptions. But can anyone tell me how he can say that today, now, Germany gets 37% of its electricity from wind and solar? Is that even possible?
As a sidebar, I hope France continues along this sad and misinformed road. Someday all France is going to be is an example of what not to do. We should cheer them on.
To be fair its not much worse than the U.S. president to regulate CO2 to prevent asthma. Absurd land we live in.
Couldn’t happen to a nicer country.