Zürcher Nachrichten - France's 'roadmap' to exit fossil fuels by 2050

The plan, presented at a global climate conference, does not unveil any new pledges but brings existing climate and energy policies and targets under one umbrella with an explicit goal.

Analysts say no other country has published such a clear and comprehensive plan.

Here are details of the 14-page roadmap that Europe's second biggest economy presented Tuesday at the first-ever talks on how to transition away from fossil fuels in Santa Marta, Colombia:

- Fossil fuel consumption -

Fossil fuels accounted for less than 60 percent of France's final energy consumption in 2023, compared to 65 percent in 2011.

Final consumption refers to energy consumed by end-users such as households, industry and agriculture, excluding energy used in power generation and distribution.

The French roadmap sets a goal of reducing the share of fossil fuels in final energy consumption to 40 percent by 2030 and 30 percent in 2035.

The aim is to reach carbon neutrality by 2050.

- Phaseout dates -

The country plans to close its last two coal-fired power plants by 2027.

It seeks to transition away from oil by 2045 through a "large-scale electrification" of transport.

France set a 2050 target date to ditch fossil gas by developing alternative heating methods, including heat pumps, or improving energy efficiency in buildings.

- Transport -

France wants two out of three new cars to be electric by 2030.

The plan also calls for deploying charging stations and rolling out electric buses and large trucks.

French manufacturers are expected to produce 400,000 electric vehicles by 2027 and one million by 2030.

The aim is to ensure that "reduced dependence on oil does not translate into new dependence on imported vehicles", the document says.

- Buildings -

France is banning the installation of gas boilers in new buildings by the end of this year.

It aims to install one million heat pumps a year by 2030.

The government wants to reduce oil-fired boilers in residential buildings by 60 percent and in non-residential buildings by 85 percent by 2030.

The goal is to phase out fossil oil for heating by 2035.

- Electricity -

Two-thirds of France's electricity came from nuclear plants in 2025 while solar, wind and hydropower accounted for around a quarter last year, according to data from electricity system operator RTE.

France plans to build next-generation EPR2 nuclear reactors and extend the lifespan of its existing fleet of reactors.

It also wants to add 1.3 gigawatts of onshore wind power each year and increase installed solar capacity threefold by 2035.

- Reactions -

NGOs welcomed France's announcement but also pushed the country to go further.

"After two years of backsliding in its public policies on the ecological transition, and with emissions falling at a rate three times slower than its own targets since 2024, France has the merit of setting dates to phase out fossil fuels," Anne Bringault, programmes director at the Climate Action Network, told AFP.

Lorelei Limousin, climate and fossil energy campaigner at Greenpeace France, said: "This is a first step, but it remains largely insufficient given the climate emergency."

O.Hofer--NZN