The cost of public support for renewable energy is expected to increase sharply in 2027.

Public service charges for energy (CSPE) are expected to reach €14,227 billion in 2027, according to a Deliberation of the Energy Regulatory Commission (CRE) of July 15, 2026They would thus increase by 1,918 billion euros, or 15,6%, compared to the 12,309 billion now projected for 2026.

The CRE attributes this increase mainly to the increase in supported renewable energy volumes, in accordance with the guidelines of the multi-year energy program (PPE), which constitutes France's energy roadmap.

10,67 billion euros allocated in the state budget

Of the 14,227 billion euros of charges to be compensated in 2027, 10,668 billion should be included in the State budget, compared to 9,059 billion in 2026. This component would therefore increase by 17,8%.

The remaining €3,559 billion would be financed by allocating a portion of the excise tax on electricity. This funding concerns non-interconnected zones (ZNI), that is, territories not connected to the mainland French electricity grid, including Corsica, the overseas departments and regions, and certain island territories.

These charges help to compensate for the public service obligations fulfilled by EDF and other energy operators. They specifically cover feed-in tariffs and feed-in premiums granted to renewable energy producers, as well as tariff equalization in non-interconnected zones.

The latter guarantees consumers in these territories regulated tariffs comparable to those applied in mainland France, despite generally higher local electricity production costs.

Sustained renewable energy production up by 9,7 TWh

In mainland France, costs related to renewable electricity and natural gas cogeneration are expected to increase by around 1 billion euros compared to the updated forecast for 2026.

This increase is primarily due to a 9,7 terawatt-hour (TWh) rise in supported electricity volumes, driven mainly by the growth of the photovoltaic sector. According to the French Energy Regulatory Commission (CRE), this increase in volumes alone would generate approximately €900 million in additional costs. The impact of market price fluctuations would account for around €200 million.

Support for injecting biomethane into gas networks is expected to increase by approximately €300 million. This increase is due to a rise of 1,6 TWh in supported volumes, but also to the anticipated decrease in gas prices: the lower the market price, the greater the gap with the guaranteed tariff for producers.

In non-interconnected areas, charges would also increase by around 200 million euros, mainly due to the commissioning of new renewable energy production facilities.

Forecasts for 2026 revised downwards

Alongside its first estimate for 2027, the CRE has lowered its assessment of the charges to be compensated in 2026 by 631,2 million euros. Initially estimated at 12,940 billion euros in July 2025, they are now estimated at 12,309 billion.

This revision is explained in particular by a decrease in charges related to photovoltaic installations benefiting from tariff orders S17 and S21, by the increase in forecast gas prices — which mechanically reduces the cost of support for biomethane — and by adjustments that are less significant than expected.

Illustrative image of the article via Depositphotos.com.