LITTLETON, Colorado, May 23 (Reuters) - France's power producers have lifted clean energy output to six-year highs so far this year and generated around 95% of all the country's power supplies from clean energy sources - far exceeding clean power production in all other European nations.

The rise in clean energy supplies came despite year-over-year drops in wind and hydro power production, which were offset by record solar generation and the highest nuclear power output since 2019.

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The ability of France's utilities to maintain clean energy growth despite lower hydro and wind output highlights the resilience of France's power system, and contrasts with recent declines seen in clean power output across Europe as a whole.

France's robust energy output levels have also yielded some of the lowest wholesale power prices across mainland Europe, which so far in 2025 have averaged around 25% to 35% below rival nations including Germany and Italy, data from LSEG shows.

This combination of durable clean energy growth and below-average power prices underscores the importance of France's energy sector within Europe's interconnected power system, where France plays a critical role as a net power exporter.

NUCLEAR DEPENDENCE

France's fleet of more than 50 nuclear reactors forms the backbone of its power generation system and account for around 70% of the country's electricity supplies.

Some of the country's reactors are more than 40 years old and require regular complex and costly maintenance.

Other reactors have been affected by warm river temperatures during the summer, which can limit plant output potential and pose operational risks if not enough cooling water is available to control fuel rod temperatures.

To lower the country's dependence on its reactor base, France's power firms have boosted generation capacity of other power sources and shuttered outdated nuclear plants.

This has resulted in nuclear power's share of total power generation capacity falling from 45% in 2019 to 39% in 2024, according to energy think tank Ember.

Solar and wind farms have been the fastest-growing sources of new power capacity and currently account for around 30% of generating capacity. Hydro plants account for an additional 16%, while gas plants account for 12% and bioenergy plants 2%.

CLEAN COMMITMENT

In addition to trimming outdated nuclear capacity, France's power firms have nearly halved coal-fired power capacity since 2019 while keeping gas-fired capacity largely flat.

The country's power firms have also nearly doubled bioenergy plant capacity and slightly raised hydro capacity over the past five years, Ember data shows.

That heavy emphasis on the expansion of non-nuclear clean energy supplies has helped sustain France's power system as one of the cleanest among all major economies even as it reduced its reliance on nuclear power.

France's power system generated nearly 98% of its electricity from clean energy sources in April, which is its cleanest monthly power share since mid-2024.

That clean power share compares to 65% in the United Kingdom, 60% in Germany and 64% for Europe as a whole, and means that France is by far the regional clean power leader.

PRICE IMPACT

The build-out of clean power capacity - which is up by 17% since 2019 - has helped keep France's power costs among the lowest in Europe.

So far in 2025, France's spot wholesale base power costs have averaged around 73 euros ($82) per megawatt hour (MWh), according to LSEG.

That power price average compares to around 98 euros/MWh in Germany, 107 euros/MWh in Poland, and 125 euros/MWh in Italy, LSEG data shows.

Such steep power price discounts to regional peers have endowed French power firms with a key competitive advantage in Europe's interconnected power markets, as they can profitably export surplus power.

This in turn means that France's clean power clout extends well beyond its borders, and ensures that even power importers that mainly rely on fossil fuels for domestic power production can benefit from France's ever-cleaner power base.

The opinions expressed here are those of the author, a columnist for Reuters.

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https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/france-flexes-clean-power-clout-nuclear-solar-output-climb-maguire-2025-05-23/