As a direct consequence of the decrease in electricity demand in France and Europe, total electricity generation in France fell to 500.1 TWh in 2020, for a year-on-year decrease of 7% (37.4 TWh). This was the lowest level on record in 20 years.
Renewable energy sources accounted for 23.4 % of total electricity production, which was much higher than in 2019. Wind power output rose by 17.3 %, solar power output by 2.3 %, and hydropower generation by 8.4 %. The latter benefited from abundant water reserves, which were about 22 % higher in 2020 than in 2019.
Production from nuclear power and fossil-fired thermal plants decreased by 11.6% (44 TWh) and 10.6% (4.5 TWh), respectively, relative to 2019. These sharp declines were consequences of a health crisis that drove consumption lower and reduced the availability of nuclear power plants. See section: Nuclear generation.
Technology | Production in 2020 in TWh | Change vs. 2019 | Share of output | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Nuclear | 335,4 | -11,6 % | 67,1 % | |
Fossil-fired thermal | 37,6 | -10,6 % | 7,5 % | |
of which coal | 1,4 | -12,7 % | 0,3 % | |
of which oil | 1,7 | -13,3 % | 0,3 % | |
of which gas | 34,5 | -10,4 % | 6,9 % | |
Hydropower | 65,1 | +8,4 % | 13 % | |
of which renewable* | 60,8 | +9,1 % | 12,1 % | |
Wind | 39,7 | +17,3 % | 7,9 % | |
Solar | 12,6 | +2,3 % | 2,5 % | |
Bioenergy | 9,6 | -0,8 % | 2,0 % | |
of which biogas | 2,9 | +8,6 % | 0,6 % | |
of which biomass | 2,5 | -5,8 % | 0,5 % | |
of which paper waste | 0,2 | -14,2 % | 0,0 % | |
of which non-renewable municipal waste | 2,0 | -2,5 % | 0,4 % | |
of which renewable municipal waste | 2,0 | -2,5 % | 0,4 % | |
Net production | 500,1 | -7 % | 100 % |
*Renewable hydropower is calculated using a method drawn from EU Directive 2009/28/EC. Seventy percent of hydropower generation is deducted from production at pumped storage stations, or STEP.