Electricity production in France 2020-2023, by source

In 2023, nuclear was the main energy source of electricity in France, at around 320 terawatt-hours. This figure increased compared to the previous year, when it amounted to less than 300 terawatt-hours. Hydropower was the second-largest energy source in France, with an electricity production of roughly 60 terawatt-hours. France’s electricity production from nuclear fuel stood at 63 percent in 2022, the smallest value since 1985.

The current decline of nuclear power

France is strongly reliant on nuclear energy for electricity production. Thus, the current unavailability of nuclear reactors due to the revision of France’s nuclear fleet is causing a decline in the total electricity production of the country. In 2022 and for the first time since 1980, France became a net importer of electricity. Still, in 2022, the French government announced the project of constructing six new nuclear reactors to reverse this trend.

Renewable energy capacity in France

Total renewable capacity in France has continuously increased since 2010. Although hydroelectricity production decreased between 2021 and 2022 due to a drought in Southern and Central Europe, wind and solar power production increased steadily. Only between 2013 and 2022, solar photovoltaic capacity per inhabitant in France more than tripled.