Paris is under pressure to use electricity as a fuel
As an early adopter of nuclear energy, France has long been ahead of the electrification curve. But its place as Europe’s primary purveyor of electrons continues to cause headaches for the state-run energy system.
Now, with Brussels aiming for electricity’s share of the EU energy mix to double by 2040, some are asking whether France is an inspiration or a cautionary tale.
“What we need is a real electricity revolution and there is no need to be afraid – we did it already in the last century, and we did it successfully,” Céline Gauer, the Frenchwoman newly appointed to head the EU’s energy directorate, said in June. “We need another electrification of our continent.”
Gauer, who Commission sources tell Euractiv is fighting internal pushback against an ambitious electrification agenda, is the perfect candidate to bring the French blueprint to Brussels this winter, when the Commission is due to unveil a bumper package of energy and climate policy.
