An electricity system must be balanced to the second. And its material value chain (panels, batteries, metals) is drawing a new geopolitics, largely dominated by China.
4.1The French case: a very low-carbon mix
In 2024, France produced 536.5 TWh of electricity (a five-year high), including 67.4% nuclear and 27.6% renewables: for the first time, more than 95% low-carbon electricity. Fossil generation fell to 19.9 TWh, its lowest level since the 1950s.
536.5 TWh
French electricity generation in 2024 (RTE)
67.4%
Share of nuclear in French electricity
89 TWh
Record net exports to European neighbours
4.2The grid: a permanent balance
Electricity is hard to store: generation must follow consumption in real time. RTE, the transmission system operator, adjusts this balance second by second. The higher the share of variable renewables, the more flexibility is needed: storage, interconnections, demand response.
4.3China's dominance of solar
China concentrates more than 80% of every stage of solar panel manufacturing, up to ~97% of wafers. This is a major industrial dependence: decarbonising Europe today largely means buying Chinese.
4.4The metals paradox
The "low-carbon" transition is metal-intensive: lithium, cobalt (DRC), nickel, graphite, copper, and rare earths, for which China provides 85-95% of production. This is the heart of Guillaume Pitron's book: we are swapping a dependence on oil for a dependence on metals.
4.5Europe's response: reshoring
Europe is trying to rebuild a battery value chain (gigafactories) and to secure its critical metals (Critical Raw Materials Act). In France, EDF (fully renationalised in 2023) runs the nuclear fleet (57 reactors) and the future EPR2 programme.
Sovereignty: the French position
France has a rare asset: electricity that is already very low-carbon thanks to nuclear and hydropower. But like the whole of Europe, it depends on Chinese panels, batteries and metals. Tomorrow's energy sovereignty will be decided as much in mines and factories as in power plants.
Sources
RTE, Bilan électrique 2024 (rte-france.com); IEA, Solar PV Global Supply Chains; G. Pitron, The Rare Metals War; European Commission, Critical Raw Materials Act.
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