The government wants to review public support for renewable energy.

This mission, dedicated to "optimizing public support for renewable electricity and electricity storage," has been entrusted to Jean-Bernard Lévy, former CEO of EDF, the French nuclear energy giant, and senior civil servant Thierry Tuot, a member of the Council of State. Their conclusions are expected within three months.

"In a demanding budgetary context and faced with the increasing maturity of the sectors, the mission will aim to propose a more effective, more sustainable and better shared support model between public and private actors," explains Matignon in a press release.

In October, Sébastien Lecornu set the tone, indicating that he wanted to re-examine "the way in which public money is used" to finance renewables.

The subject is politically charged. In recent months, the cost of wind and solar energy has become the subject of heated debates between pro-renewables and pro-nuclear parliamentarians.

During the examination of a bill, a moratorium on the installation of new wind and solar energy capacities had even been voted on in the National Assembly, at the initiative of an LR deputy, supported by the National Rally, before being rejected.

Negative prices

Today, most solar and wind power plants benefit from contracts with the State, guaranteeing a fixed price to the producer, which have helped to support the growth of the sector.

However, in the current context of weak electricity demand, these installations can generate electricity surpluses, sometimes accompanied by negative prices. This phenomenon puts a strain on public finances because the government must pay the producer the difference between the market price and the reference price.

These support mechanisms represent "today a major financial commitment for the public authorities", estimated at 8,2 billion euros in the draft 2026 budget, Matignon emphasizes.

"After several years of ramping up (...) there is a desire to start from scratch," a source at Matignon told AFP.

The mission will notably have to propose ways "to put in place more flexibility and storage" by batteries, in order to better integrate inherently intermittent renewables into the electricity grid.

Mr. Lévy will bring his industrial expertise, as the former head of the nuclear giant EDF, where he also led the diversification into renewables, Matignon points out. Thierry Tuot, for his part, was the first director general of the Energy Regulatory Commission (CRE).

In principle, renewable energy unions are not against this audit, which is intended to correct situations of "rent-seeking." However, the absence of nuclear power in this study raises questions, given that its cost "is by definition the most significant," emphasizes Daniel Bour of Enerplan.

The president of the Renewable Energy Union (SER), Jules Nyssen, referred to it as a "provocation," ironically noting that "in terms of costs," the Flamanville EPR reactor project, "largely carried out" during Mr. Lévy's tenure at EDF, "is a good example."

"If the work carried out is complete and serious, it will confirm that the benefits" of renewables "far exceed their costs", by avoiding costly imports of oil and gas, commented Bastien Cucq of the Climate Action Network to AFP.

The government does not intend to wait for the end of these works to implement its announcements on energy, including measures to lower electricity prices and accelerate the electrification of uses.

Marine Le Pen, leader of the RN deputies, a strong critic of renewables, called for "a strong measure" on prices, during a meeting Wednesday with Sébastien Lecornu, according to a statement from the RN.

Meanwhile, the government is continuing its consultations with parliamentarians to publish the decree on the French energy strategy (known as PPE3), which is already two years behind schedule. The Prime Minister's office promises a decision "sometime in December".

Illustrative image of the article via Depositphotos.com.