French electricity production hit at all levels by the crisis

A capability dependent on nuclear

As of June 1, 2022, the installed French electricity fleet had a total production capacity of 139,279 gigawatts (GW), of which 44% thanks to nuclear power, according to the manager of the Electricity Transmission Network (RTE).

It is necessary to distinguish the electrical power of an installation, or its production capacity, expressed in watts, from the actual production in watt-hours which corresponds to the energy delivered or consumed.

In 2021, nuclear produced 360,7 terawatt-hours (Twh), or 69% of total production.

But due to corrosion problems affecting reactors and the maintenance schedule for the fleet, delayed by the Covid, EDF has revised its forecasts for 2022 downwards.

The company plans to produce between 280 and 300 terawatt hours (Twh), "probably" at the lower end of this range.

At the end of the week, 32 out of 56 nuclear reactors were shut down and nuclear power accounted for just over half of production.

Heat can also affect nuclear production in some cases, even if this phenomenon remains limited.

EDF's low nuclear production contributed to an unprecedented rise in wholesale electricity prices, which reached more than 1.100 euros per megawatt hour on Friday in France.

Renewables are accelerating but the weather is deteriorating

In 2021, wind, solar, hydro and bioenergy accounted for 44% of French capacity, compared to 12% for gas, fuel oil and coal, according to RTE. But renewables accounted for only 24% of production, compared to 7% for fossil fuels.

While wind power has accelerated its development, recently exceeding 20 gigawatts of power, it remains far from the target for 2023 (24,1 GW). The "unfavorable" weather conditions also reduced production in the second quarter.

The production of photovoltaic solar electricity increased by 32% compared to the first half of 2021. In terms of capacity, the installed power (15,2 GW) remains far from the 2023 target (20,1 GW).

Hydropower, which represents 18% of production capacity, is also weakened by the high temperatures, drought and low rainfall. At the end of June, production was down by 5,7 TWh, to 18,9 TWh, according to EDF.

On the fossil fuel side, the Saint-Avold coal-fired power station (Moselle) should restart next winter in the face of the energy crisis linked to the consequences of the war in Ukraine and in particular Russia's decision to gradually close the gas tap to Europe. Only one other coal-fired power plant is still open in France, in Loire-Atlantique.

Gas stocks are more than 90% full, but France is much less dependent on it than its neighbors for electricity.

France forced to import

Electricity consumption in France in 2021 was 468 TWh, a small upturn after the lows seen during the pandemic. At the end of June, consumption had already reached 242,3 TWh, with a particularly cold month of January.

With the heat waves, consumption peaks were observed this summer.

As a result of all the problems observed in the French fleet and the war in Ukraine, the country had to import electricity every month between November 2021 and June 2022, except in February and May.

In 2021, France was largely an exporter (87 TWh exported against 44 imported), with Switzerland, the United Kingdom and Italy on the podium of the biggest importers.