France must reduce the 2030 energy consumption target by 12%, according to the Environmental Authority

The Environmental Authority (AE) gave its energy roadmap for France in a notice published Thursday, December 26. And the message is clear: France must be more ambitious in terms of reducing consumption, she judged.

She therefore recommends “reduce the 2030 final energy consumption target by at least 12% to achieve European targets“, among various recommendations aimed at “complete or deepen” this country’s energy roadmap for the next ten years, put out for public consultation at the beginning of November.

The 27 of the EU adopted a battle plan for the climate in 2021, with a set of measures called “Fit for 55”, in reference to the objective of 55% reductions in EU greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, broken down by sector, compared to 1990.

In its advisory opinion, the Authority recalls that for final energy consumption for energy use, “the ambition is to go from 1,545 TWh in 2022 to 1,060 TWh in 2050 with two milestones in 2030 and 2035“.

“The milestone indicated for 2030 is not sufficient to comply with the new energy efficiency directive as part of the +Fit for 55+ package which assumes reaching 1,243 TWh in 2030“, against a hypothesis of 1,410 TWh.

“The PPE clearly signals this situation of the +central+ scenario of the PPE3 and indicates that other levers will have to be mobilized to respect the European objectives“, underlines the Environmental Authority.

Three actions to reduce total final energy consumption

She adds that the reduction in total final energy consumption is broken down into three actions: “Give priority to energy sobriety and efficiency”, “Reduce energy consumption in all sectors” and “Sustain the energy saving certificate system“.

Furthermore, generally speaking, the Authority considers that “the wording of actions is often not very prescriptive“, while the PPE “has, however, effective levers to impose certain measures, whether in the decree which will legally translate a certain number of provisions or in the calls for tenders from the Ministry responsible for Energy“.

At the beginning of November, the government presented the Multiannual Energy Program (PPE) as well as the National Low-Carbon Strategy (SNBC), with a reduction of 30% in 2030 in energy consumption compared to 2012 and of 50% in 2050.

A revised version of the SNBC should be finalized in the first quarter of 2025, according to the Environmental Authority