France’s Transition to Net Zero and Fossil Fuel Elimination

Since the adoption of the Paris Agreement in 2015, France has been working to decarbonise and meet the European Union’s goal of a 66.25%-72.5% reduction in emissions by 2035, compared to 1990 levels.

Overall, the 27 Member States aim to ensure that the European energy sector becomes largely free of fossil fuels well before 2050.

In line with this, France is committing to transition away from fossil fuels.

Fossil fuel usage and reliance

In 2023, fossil fuels accounted for less than 60% of France’s final energy consumption, down from 65% in 2011.

However, France relies on gas and oil; more than 95% of fossil fuels are sourced from abroad, accounting for 65% of France’s GHG emissions.

In France, coal represents less than 1% of final consumption; however, the country does not produce coal domestically.

Oil accounts for 38% of final energy consumption in 2024, most of which is used in transport (66%). The country only produces 1.7% of its oil consumption, importing more than 98%.

In 2024, fossil gas accounted for 19% of final consumption, with the largest shares in industry (36%) and in residential and tertiary buildings (37% and 20%, respectively).

Since 2017, France has been committed to the gradual phase-out of fossil fuels as part of its adoption of the Climate Plan.

“We exported, last year, 93TWh of electricity and low-carbon one based on the nuclear model,” said Emmanuel Macron, President of France, at the World Economic Forum’s Davos 2026 event.

“We have world-class innovation and research capabilities, and we will improve them. 

“And we have one of the most vivid and active ecosystems in AI, quantum computing, energy transition and a lot of start-ups and unicorns and large caps of these sectors are with me in my delegation today.”

Inside the Climate Plan

France’s 2017 Climate Plan introduced legislation to phase out hydrocarbon production in France by 2040. The legislation aims to end the granting of new exploration permits, as well as not renewing existing exploitation concessions.

To date, the plan has led to a major reduction in fossil fuel consumption in buildings, which fell by 42% between 2017 and 2022.

France’s Climate Plan also aims to accelerate electrifying the transport sector. The ultimate goal is to reduce dependence on oil and gas, setting an end-of-sale target for thermal passenger vehicles by 2040.

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Electrification and energy sovereignty

France has set a National Low Carbon Strategy (SNBC), outlining a roadmap to achieve its climate goals.

Within the strategy is the aim of a 50% reduction in gross GHG emissions by 2030, compared to 1990 levels, ultimately aiming to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.

“Electricity demand is growing,” says Aurélien Hamelle, President, Strategy & Sustainability at TotalEnergies at the Sustainability & Climate 2026 Progress Report presentation.

“Renewable energy supply is growing very much, that’s the fastest-growing energy, as you can see here. But then coal is still growing today. The pace of growth of coal has declined, but it is still growing. 

“Gas is growing steadily, 2.3%. And then finally, oil demand is growing at the same pace as the population, which is a very steady historical trend.”

The third edition of the SNBC highlights the plan to strengthen France’s energy sovereignty and to transition away from fossil fuels.

It sets end-of-consumption targets for:

• Coal by 2030
• Oil by 2045
• Fossil gas by 2050

To achieve these goals, the country has broken them down by sector, creating distinct milestones for each.

By 2030, France aims for 66% of new car sales to be electric and for public transport to increase by 25%.

It aims to decarbonise industry, involving France’s 50 largest industrial sites.

As part of the SNBC, an 85% reduction in oil-fired boilers in tertiary buildings, 60% reduction in the residential sector and phasing out fossil oil for heating by 2035.

France also aims to increase decarbonised production via renewable energy, nuclear power, hydrogen, biogas and alternative fuels.

To help achieve sovereignty, France aims to reach 15GW of installed offshore wind power and a threefold increase in installed solar photovoltaic capacity by 2035.

The country aims to increase installed hydropower by 2.8GW, deploy up to 8GW of electrolysers (to produce green hydrogen) by 2035 and increase biomethane production by sixfold by 2035.

To date, France is the leading European producer of electricity and already has a largely decarbonised electricity mix, with 95% of the electricity production coming from renewable and nuclear sources in 2024.