France energy mix & electricity
Electricity generation in France reached 570 TWh in 2025. Nuclear power dominates the mix with 68.8%, followed by hydropower at 10.4% and wind power at 8.2%.
Electricity generation by source in 2025
Share of electricity generation by source, with the change in percentage points over the last ten years.
| Source | TWh | Share | 10-yr Δ pp |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nuclear | 392 | 68.8% | −7.4 |
| Hydro | 59.41 | 10.4% | +0.8 |
| Wind | 46.49 | 8.2% | +4.4 |
| Solar | 31.82 | 5.6% | +4.2 |
| Gas | 17.25 | 3% | −0.7 |
| Oil | 10.36 | 1.8% | −0.2 |
| Bioenergy | 10.27 | 1.8% | +0.7 |
| Coal | 1.74 | 0.3% | −1.8 |
| Other renewables | 0.57 | 0.1% | 0 |
| Total | 570 | 100% |
France: electricity in context
Electricity generation in France reached 570 TWh in 2025. That is about 1.8% of the world total, in the same league as South Korea. Nuclear power dominates the mix with 68.8%, followed by hydropower at 10.4% and wind power at 8.2%.
Renewables supplied 26.1% of the electricity, which ranks France 94th of 158 countries. That is 8 points below the world average of 33.8%. It is also below the average for Europe (41.6%). The EU-27 average is higher, at 47.7%. Add nuclear power (68.8%) and low-carbon sources reach 94.9% of generation. The carbon intensity of electricity is 41 g CO₂e/kWh; the global average is 458 g/kWh. That makes it one of the cleanest power grids anywhere. In the cleanest-grid ranking, France is 12th of 158.
Over the past decade wind power added more generation than any other source (+25.1 TWh since 2015, plus 4.4 percentage points of share). The biggest decline came from nuclear power (−45.4 TWh). The net effect: renewables gained 10.1 percentage points of share since 2015. Total generation shrank by 4.2 TWh over the same period. Carbon intensity dropped from 59 to 41 g/kWh, a 30% cut.
Coal is effectively gone from the grid, down from a peak of 12% in 1985.
Solar (5.6%) and wind (8.2%) now add up to 13.7% of generation; the global figure is 17.3%. Per person, that is 477 kWh of solar electricity a year, 1.4× the global average. In solar electricity per person, France ranks 33rd in the world. Wind adds 698 kWh per person, the 24th-highest figure of 156 countries. Solar first passed 1% of the mix in 2014.
Generation per person is 8,552 kWh a year, 2.2× the world average of 3,860 kWh. More power leaves the country than arrives: a net 93.3 TWh of exports, equal to 20% of domestic demand.
How the power mix has changed
Electricity generation by source since 1985. Switch to shares to see the structural shift independent of demand growth.
Renewables and carbon intensity
France against the world, Europe and EU-27 averages.
Total energy: beyond electricity
Primary energy covers transport, heating and industry too. Renewables supply 16.5% of primary energy and fossil fuels 46.1% (2024). Per person, that is 37,866 kWh a year (world: 21,654).
Substitution method: non-fossil electricity is converted to the primary energy a fossil plant would have needed.
Domestic extraction of coal, gas and oil, in energy terms.
Power plants in France
The 2,155 power plants recorded in France add up to 110.6 GW of capacity, 57% of it Nuclear. The largest is GRAVELINES at 5,460 MW. The database was last updated in 2021, so newer wind and solar farms and rooftop PV are under-represented.
Largest power plants
| # | Plant | Fuel | Capacity MW | Commissioned | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GRAVELINES | Nuclear | 5,460 | — | — |
| 2 | PALUEL | Nuclear | 5,320 | — | — |
| 3 | CATTENOM | Nuclear | 5,200 | — | — |
| 4 | CRUAS | Nuclear | 3,660 | — | — |
| 5 | TRICASTIN 1 | Nuclear | 3,660 | — | — |
| 6 | BLAYAIS | Nuclear | 3,640 | — | — |
| 7 | CHINON | Nuclear | 3,620 | — | — |
| 8 | BUGEY | Nuclear | 3,580 | — | — |
| 9 | DAMPIERRE | Nuclear | 3,560 | — | — |
| 10 | CHOOZ | Nuclear | 3,000 | — | — |
| 11 | CIVAUX | Nuclear | 2,990 | — | — |
| 12 | ST ALBAN | Nuclear | 2,670 | — | — |
| 13 | FLAMANVILLE | Nuclear | 2,660 | — | — |
| 14 | PENLY | Nuclear | 2,660 | — | — |
| 15 | BELLEVILLE | Nuclear | 2,620 | — | — |
Source: WRI Global Power Plant Database v1.3 (CC BY 4.0). Explore all 2,155 plants on the interactive power plant map.
Solar & wind farms: France
3,950 utility-scale facilities tracked by Global Energy Monitor (2026): 12.9 GW of solar and 25.8 GW of wind operating, plus 27.2 GW under construction or planned.
How does France compare?
France next to 6 neighbouring countries, plus regional and world averages. Click a column to sort; use “Compare” for full side-by-side charts.
| Country | Renewable % | Low-carbon % | Fossil % | gCO₂/kWh | kWh / person | Generation TWh | Mix | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| France | 26.1% | 94.9% | 5.1% | 41 | 8,552 | 570 | — | |
| Switzerland | 67.8% | 97.7% | 2.3% | 39 | 7,251 | 65 | Compare | |
| Luxembourg | 91.6% | 91.6% | 8.4% | 123 | 2,263 | 1.5 | Compare | |
| Belgium | 38.9% | 72% | 28% | 150 | 6,199 | 72.9 | Compare | |
| Germany | 59.1% | 59.1% | 40.9% | 330 | 5,953 | 500 | Compare | |
| Spain | 55.9% | 74.6% | 25.4% | 154 | 6,012 | 288 | Compare | |
| Italy | 48.8% | 48.8% | 51.2% | 285 | 4,475 | 265 | Compare | |
| Europe average | 41.6% | 62% | 38% | 271 | 6,203 | 4,626 | Compare | |
| European Union (EU-27) average | 47.7% | 71.1% | 28.9% | 210 | 6,230 | 2,797 | Compare | |
| World average | 33.8% | 42.6% | 57.4% | 458 | 3,860 | 31,772 | Compare |
Calculators for France
France energy: frequently asked questions
What percentage of electricity in France is renewable?
What is the main source of electricity in France?
How clean is the electricity in France?
Does France use nuclear power?
How much electricity does France use per person?
How much solar power does France produce?
Does France import electricity?
More countries in Europe
Sources & references
- Our World in Data: Energy dataset (CC BY 4.0) — compiled from the sources below
- Ember: Yearly Electricity Data — generation, shares, carbon intensity
- Energy Institute: Statistical Review of World Energy — primary energy, fossil production
- U.S. Energy Information Administration: International Energy Data — gap-filling for smaller countries
- World Resources Institute: Global Power Plant Database v1.3 (CC BY 4.0) — power plant locations and capacity
Electricity data: Ember and Energy Institute Statistical Review via Our World in Data (CC BY 4.0); latest year 2025. Power plants: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). Rankings exclude systems under 1 TWh and values older than 2020. Figures may be revised by the original publishers.