To celebrate its 80th anniversary, EDF is allocating 240 million euros to help the French switch to electricity.

While awaiting the government's presentation of its electrification plan to reduce dependence on oil and gas, the public company EDF is "contributing its share" on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of its creation in 1946.

"These 240 million, if we are proposing them today, three times 80 million on the occasion of our 80th anniversary, (it is) to show that we are taking our part and (that) we are concretely helping the French to switch to electric," said EDF CEO Bernard Fontana in an interview with Franceinfo.

France currently depends on fossil fuels for 60% of its energy consumption, almost all of which is imported, at an annual cost of approximately 60 billion euros.

But in the context of the war in the Middle East, "there is a whole issue at stake in switching to electricity", an energy that is "competitive", "sovereign" and 95% "decarbonized" thanks to nuclear and renewables, the leader argued.

EDF's plan provides for the payment of a bonus of 1.000 euros to around 80.000 low-income or very low-income households, which can be combined with existing aid (energy saving certificates and MaPrimeRénov'), to encourage them "to switch to heat pumps, which allows them to benefit from cheaper energy bills," the CEO said.

This investment being costly, in the order of 15.000 euros, this boost will allow them to lower their out-of-pocket expenses to around 3.000 euros, which is less than the cost of replacing a gas boiler, says EDF.

"In itself, why not (...) But in concrete terms, heating a thermal sieve with a heat pump is pointless!", reacted the association UFC-Que Choisir.

For very small and small businesses in all sectors, EDF plans to pay 30 million euros in aid to those wishing to switch to electric heavy goods vehicles, with an average bonus of 15.000 euros per truck, up to a limit of two per company.

In addition, 50 million euros will be allocated to the installation of 180 charging stations for heavy goods vehicles distributed across the metropolitan area within 3 years.

These two categories of users will be able to access the platform jepassealelectrique.frby providing proof of aid already received, and "regardless of whether they are EDF customers or not," Béatrice Bigois, Executive Director of the Customers, Services and Territories Group at EDF, told AFP.

The group will also allocate 80 million euros to encourage the installation of new activities that consume a lot of electricity: industries or data centers.

EDF will make available two turnkey sites - for a total area of ​​50 hectares - which will already be pre-equipped and connected to the electricity network, in order to halve the installation time.