France very late in the development of renewable energies

"On renewable energies, I think that we do not say enough (...) that we are very late; we are very, very late", declared Jean-François Carenco during the annual conference of the Union French electricity company (UFE).

"If we had followed the renewable energy roadmap as it was planned two years ago, we wouldn't have a crisis. I think we wouldn't have a crisis if we had 3 gigawatts more ", he judged, referring to the current energy crisis, the prices of which have soared.

“Let’s realize that it’s our fault,” he urged. "By dint of listening to all those who moan while forgetting that electric energy, so that we have it, is thousands of deaths in the coal mines, it is dozens, hundreds of submerged villages ".

"And now (...) because someone says 'it's not beautiful' we say 'ah la la'? It twists my guts. Because it endangers all our jobs, for all of France, all of Europe ", ruled the former prefect.

The development of renewable energies has indeed fallen behind in France, while the country has set itself ambitious objectives.

The multiannual energy program (PPE), France's official roadmap, plans to double the installed capacity of renewable electric energies in 2028 compared to 2017.

But the projects often face opposition from local residents, defenders of heritage or biodiversity, or even fishermen when it comes to marine parks.

The renewables also concentrated criticism from part of the right and the far right in the pre-campaign for the 2022 presidential election.

Xavier Bertrand, unsuccessful candidate for the LR nomination, has repeatedly attacked the development of wind turbines in his region, Hauts-de-France. Marine Le Pen (RN) for its part plans to "dismantle" them.