France maps fossil exit by 2050

France has set deadlines to end the use of coal, oil and fossil gas for energy, placing itself among the first major economies to publish a full fossil-fuel exit timetable as governments debate how to turn climate pledges into enforceable national plans.

The roadmap, presented at the international talks in Santa Marta, Colombia, commits France to phasing out coal by 2030, oil by 2045 and fossil gas by 2050. The plan links the timetable to energy security, industrial renewal and climate neutrality, arguing that a managed decline in fossil-fuel demand is now central to economic sovereignty as well as emissions policy.

Paris has framed the document as a practical model for countries seeking to move beyond broad climate commitments. The plan draws on France’s National Low-Carbon Strategy and Multiannual Energy Planning, setting a path to cut fossil fuels from nearly 60 per cent of final energy consumption in 2023 to 40 per cent by 2030 and 30 per cent by 2035, before reaching carbon neutrality in 2050.

The Santa Marta meeting, co-hosted by Colombia and the Netherlands, has brought together more than 50 governments for the first global conference dedicated to transitioning away from fossil fuels. The talks are not expected to produce binding commitments, but they are intended to build a coalition around national roadmaps, financing tools and sector-by-sector plans ahead of future climate negotiations.

France’s case rests partly on its high exposure to imported fuels. Fossil fuels accounted for less than 60 per cent of final energy consumption in 2023, down from 65 per cent in 2011, but more than 95 per cent of the country’s fossil fuels are sourced from abroad. Oil made up 38 per cent of final energy consumption in 2024, with transport accounting for about two-thirds of oil use. Fossil gas represented 19 per cent, used heavily in industry, housing and commercial buildings, while nearly all gas was imported.

Coal is the smallest part of the French energy mix, but its phase-out is the earliest deadline. The roadmap plans to close the country’s last two coal-fired power plants by 2027, ahead of the 2030 end-of-consumption target. Oil is expected to decline through transport electrification, expanded charging infrastructure, cleaner buses, electric heavy goods vehicles and European rules cutting carbon dioxide emissions from new vehicles. Gas demand is to be reduced through heat pumps, building renovation and alternative heating networks.

The strategy also sets measurable milestones beyond fuel bans. It targets electric vehicles at 66 per cent of new car sales by 2030, a 25 per cent rise in public transport use and deeper decarbonisation of the 50 largest industrial sites in France. Heating is a major focus, with planned reductions of 85 per cent in oil-fired boilers in commercial buildings and 60 per cent in homes, alongside an objective to end fossil oil heating by 2035.

Power supply is the second pillar. France plans to expand low-carbon electricity through new EPR2 nuclear reactors, longer operating life for existing reactors, more renewable power and stronger electricity grids. Offshore wind capacity is targeted at 15 gigawatts by 2035, a fifteen-fold rise from 2017, while renewable and recovered heat production is expected to double. The roadmap says France’s power mix is already about 95 per cent low carbon, giving it a different starting point from coal-heavy economies.

The announcement also carries diplomatic weight. France has been active in coal phase-out coalitions and the Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance, and it ended most international public financing for unabated fossil-fuel energy projects after pledges made at the Glasgow climate summit. The Santa Marta process is designed to give countries technical guidance on how to build national pathways that address finance, jobs, industry and energy security.

The plan faces domestic and economic tests. France must accelerate building renovations, expand charging networks, keep electricity prices competitive, secure grid investment and preserve public support as households and businesses shift away from familiar heating and transport systems. A separate policy push has already moved towards banning gas heating systems in new buildings and increasing electrification funding by 2030, reflecting the scale of investment required to make the timetable credible.