Electrification plan: for a territorially based and multi-energy implementation

Supporting an electrification process already underway

Electrification is underway and must be pursued ambitiously. This requires providing visibility to stakeholders, strengthening networks, developing flexibility solutions, and avoiding any disruption to investment trajectories, in accordance with the multi-year programs negotiated between the organizing authority and its concessionaire. However, this momentum must remain gradual, socially acceptable, and adapted to local specificities.

As the President of the Republic reminded us, not all uses can be electrified immediately, nor without support, nor without taking into account local realities.

A diversified energy mix, serving the territories

Decarbonization cannot rely on a single lever. Biogas, renewable heat, renewable hydrogen, but also local dynamics linked to energy recovery, contribute to energy sovereignty and the economic development of territories.

Biomethane projects, supported by local authorities and the agricultural sector, illustrate this dynamic. Similarly, the development of bio-CNG for mobility and local renewable heat initiatives demonstrate the ability of regions to diversify their resources and create value.

According to Jean-Luc Dupont, president of the FNCCR: “While the major electrification plan is beneficial for our sovereignty, it must be part of a broader vision that integrates all renewable energies. Local authorities, through the AODE and AODG, are at the heart of this transformation and must be fully involved in the key decisions. The goal is not to pit energy sources against each other, but to build a balanced mix, adapted to local areas, to achieve an effective, sustainable, and shared energy transition.”

Strengthen the coordination of energy networks

Furthermore, the electrification of energy uses cannot be conceived independently of integrated planning of all energy networks (electricity, gas, heat and cooling, and hydrogen). In this respect, the AODE/AODG (local energy authorities) occupy a central position to orchestrate, at the territorial level, a coherent scenario reconciling the development of electricity uses, the evolution of networks, and complementarity with other energy vectors.

On this point, the first measure of the "Launch 100 Electrification Territories" plan must explicitly rely on the Local Authorities for Distribution (AODE/AODG), which own the electricity and gas distribution networks and guarantee the proper functioning of energy distribution within their territories. This is, in fact, what emerges concretely from the DDADUE 3 bill as adopted in its first reading by the Senate, which recognizes a role for these organizing authorities in both developing a common multi-energy scenario and optimizing gas infrastructure. The FNCCR calls for the electrification plan to be fully integrated into this framework and to reinforce the initial positions of the legislature.

Electrification in the territories will not happen without the AODEs

It is essential that the AODEs, the true backbone (technical, financial and political) of the energy transition in the territories, are fully involved in the implementation of the electrification plan.

Beyond their role as property owners, local energy authorities (AODEs) are involved across the entire energy value chain: renewable energy production, particularly through short supply chains; development of network and vehicle charging infrastructure, for which they partially act as project owners; and energy demand management. This comprehensive approach is a major asset for ensuring an orderly, efficient, and locally adapted energy transition.

Illustrative image of the article via Depositphotos.com.