Will France succeed in producing enough “low-carbon” energy to gradually abandon gas and oil and achieve its greenhouse gas emission reduction targets? During the express campaign for the early legislative elections, the main political forces provided only vague answers to this fundamental question. “The general observation is that energy issues are little considered by political parties, whatever their side”, regrets Andreas Rüdinger, specialist in energy transition at the Institute for Sustainable Development and International Relations.
Concerning renewable energies, the National Rally (RN) reaffirmed its desire to establish a moratorium on new wind turbine projects, particularly those at sea. Very concretely, a victory for the far-right party could put a damper on halt to a huge call for tenders for the construction by 2035 of offshore wind farms producing a total of 10 gigawatts – the equivalent of the power of 10 nuclear reactors –, which must be launched by the end of the year. The president of the party, Jordan Bardella, on the other hand, abandoned the idea of dismantling wind turbines already in operation, supported by Marine Le Pen during the 2022 presidential campaign.
Concerning solar energy, a subject which is less of a political symbol, the far-right party is more vague. Jordan Bardella did not mention a moratorium during the presentation of his program on Monday June 24, but seems reluctant to promote the development of the sector. He still calls for “recreate a photovoltaic sector in France”, while 90% of the components of a panel today come from China. In any case, according to all energy transition scenarios, massive and rapid development of both wind and solar power is essential to successfully decarbonize France – even with a strong focus on nuclear power.
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Unlike the RN, the New Popular Front (NFP) promises to “making France the European leader in marine energies”. Within the left bloc, La France insoumise (LFI), in particular, relies heavily on offshore wind power rather than solar or onshore wind power. Its founder, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, is one of the few to advocate the development of tidal turbines, operating from marine currents and mentioned in the joint program.
” A disaster “
If the left-wing parties are much more favorable to wind and solar power than the right and the far right, neither the Ecologists nor the “rebels” voted, at the beginning of 2023, the law to accelerate the production of renewable energies carried by the government, for political reasons but also because the text was judged insufficiently ambitious or as not taking enough into account biodiversity issues. The NFP is today calling for the adoption of an “energy-climate” law in Parliament, the executive having given up on voting for such a programmatic text.
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