Political Rift Forces France to Drop Law for Energy Targets

Francois de Beaupuy
·1 min read

(Bloomberg) -- France dropped a plan to write medium-term energy targets into law amid a political rift between opponents of nuclear and renewable energies in the nation’s parliament.

Most Read from Bloomberg

“I want to put an end to the war of religion between the pro-nuclear and the pro-renewables,” Industry and Energy Minister Roland Lescure said in an interview with Le Figaro newspaper. France needs both in order to become carbon neutral the middle of the century, he said.

The government, which lacks an outright majority in Parliament, had pledged to confirm targets set last year that were supposed to boost clean energy production by 2035. Lobby groups in the sector have expressed concern that the goals might be undermined if they aren’t enshrined in legislation, while the cash-strapped government also plans to support the construction of new atomic plants.

The French government will hold a national consultation about the country’s energy future in the coming months before publishing a multi-year plan by the end of the year, Lescure said.

Lawmakers will work on a bill that includes provisions to better inform households about energy contracts, as well as protect them against undue changes by suppliers, following a surge in prices in the wake of the war in Ukraine. The country’s energy regulator will get increased sanction powers to better protect consumers.

The government will also ask lawmakers to propose changes to the legal framework for operating hydropower dams, Lescure said. France seeks to end a long-standing dispute with the European Union which could unlock new investment in the technology.

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

©2024 Bloomberg L.P.