Where Does The Energy Used In France Originate ?

Oil

98.9% of oil consumed in France is imported,
totaling 56.7 million metric tons in 2015.

French oil production amounts to 0.8 million metric tons, corresponding to 1.1% of oil consumed in France.

Sources : French Observation and Statistics Service (SOeS) based on customs data, in Key Energy Figures, 2016 edition – French Ministry of the Environment, Energy and the Sea

Natural gas

99.9% of natural gas consumed in France is imported,
totaling 509.8 terawatt-hours (TWh) in 2015.

French natural gas production amounts to 0.05 billion cubic meters, corresponding to 0.1% of the natural gas consumed in France.

Sources : French Observation and Statistics Service (SOeS) based on customs data, in Key Energy Figures, 2016 edition – French Ministry of the Environment, Energy and the Sea

Coal

All coal consumed in France is imported,
totaling 13.5 million metric tons in 2015.

Sources : French Observation and Statistics Service (SOeS) based on customs data, in Key Energy Figures, 2016 edition – French Ministry of the Environment, Energy and the Sea

Nuclear energy

Nuclear energy consumed in metropolitan France in the form of electricity is mainly produced in the country itself, at 19 sites.
384 terawatt-hours (TWh) produced in 2016, corresponding to 72% of France’s electricity mix.

As France generates more electricity than it consumes, some of the surplus is exported to other countries. However, France also imports a small amount of the power it consumes to meet peaks in consumption or to take advantage of low prices.

In 2016

Export : 71,7 TWh

Import : 32,6 TWh

While the electricity imported and exported is mainly of nuclear origin, it is also occasionally generated from other sources, such hydro, gas, coal, wind, solar and other renewable energies.

What about uranium?

The natural source of nuclear energy is uranium ore. Today, there are no more uranium mines in France. The country imports all of its uranium from abroad. Precise data on the origin of uranium used in France are not available, but the world’s five main uranium-producing countries are Kazakhstan, Canada, Australia, Niger and Namibia.

RTE, 2016 Annual Electricity Report
World Nuclear Association, Uranium Production Figures, 2007-2016

Hydro energy

Hydro energy consumed in France in the form of electricity is mainly produced in the country itself.
56 terawatt-hours (TWh) produced in 2015, corresponding to 12% of France’s electricity mix.

Sources : French Observation and Statistics Service (SOeS) survey on power generation, in Key Renewable Energy Figures, 2016 edition – French Ministry of the Environment, Energy and the Sea
RTE, 2016 Annual Electricity Report.

Solar energy

Solar energy consumed in France in the form of electricity is mainly produced in the country itself, using photovoltaic (PV) technology.
8,3 TWh (terawatt-hours) produced in 2015, corresponding to 1.6% of France’s electricity mix.

Sources : French Statistical Data and Studies Service (SDES) based on data from Enedis, RTE, EDF-SEI, CRE and the main local electricity distribution companies, in Photovoltaic Dashboard – second half of 2017.

Wind energy

Wind energy consumed in France in the form of electricity is mainly produced in the country itself.
21 TWh (terawatt-hours) produced in 2015, corresponding to 3.9% of France’s electricity mix.

Sources : French Observation and Statistics Service (SOeS) survey on power generation, in Key Renewable Energy Figures, 2016 edition – French Ministry of the Environment, Energy and the Sea
RTE, 2016 Annual Electricity Report.

Wood energy

In 2015, 8.9 million metric tons of oil equivalent (toe) of wood were burned to produce heat. In the same year, 0.6 million toe were combusted to generate power, corresponding to 1.5% of France’s electricity mix.
In general, the wood consumed is sourced locally. This is because, for both financial and environmental reasons, it is widely accepted that wood should be transported no more than 50 kilometers to its place of use.