France's changing energy mix
The Macron government faces the difficult task in 2018 of juggling competing demands for France's energy cocktail
The past year was an interesting one for French energy policy. The presidential campaign offered a wide range of options, from right-wing enthusiasm for nuclear power to left-wing plans to phase it out within 25 years. After the election, Emmanuel Macron's newly designed government didn't waste time: it unveiled a long-term vision with a "plan climat" (climate plan) designed to fulfil a commitment to the Paris Agreement and reach carbon neutrality around 2050. A law was passed accordingly to ban oil and gas exploration and production by 2040, a mostly symbolic move, given France's huge dependence on imported hydrocarbons. A more concrete and immediate step was the inclusion of a sharp carbon
Also in this section
10 March 2026
From Venezuela to Hormuz, the US—backed by the most powerful military force ever assembled—is redrawing not only oil and gas flows but also the global balance of energy power
10 March 2026
By shutting the Strait of Hormuz, Iran has cut exports of distillate-rich Middle Eastern crude, jet fuel and diesel, and is holding the energy market hostage
10 March 2026
Eni’s director for global gas and LNG portfolio, Cristian Signoretto, discusses how demand will respond to rising LNG supply, and how the company is expanding its own gas and LNG operations through disciplined, capital-efficient investments
9 March 2026
Petroleum Economist analysis sees increases in output from Saudi Arabia, Venezuela and Kazakhstan among others before region’s murky descent
