Europe / Caspian / CIS
Country profile: France
| Location: | Western Europe, bordering the Bay of Biscay and English Channel, between Belgium and Spain, southeast of the UK; bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Italy and Spain,0 |
| Climate: | generally cool winters and mild summers, but mild winters and hot summers along the Mediterranean; occasional strong, cold, dry, north-to-northwesterly wind known as mistral |
| Terrain: | mostly flat plains or gently rolling hills in north and west; remainder is mountainous, especially Pyrenees in south, Alps in east |
| Size: | 547030 sq. km total (Land area: 545630 sq. km Water area: 1400 sq.km) |
| Population: | 60,876,136 in metropolitan France (July 2008 est.) |
| Languages: | French 100%, rapidly declining regional dialects and languages (Provencal, Breton, Alsatian, Corsican, Catalan, Basque, Flemish) |
| Government: | republic |
| Capital city: | Paris |
| Legal system: | civil law system with indigenous concepts; review of administrative but not legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
| Currency: | euro (EUR) |
| Licensing: |
Country profile
In 2004, France consumed 11.2 quadrillion Btu of total energy. Nuclear energy was the largest share, representing 39 percent, followed by oil (36 percent), natural gas (16 percent) and hydroelectricity (5 percent). France is the second-largest producer of nuclear power in the world, after the United States, however, nuclear energy is a much larger share of France’s total energy consumption than the United States (8 percent in 2004).
Energy production and consumption
| Oil | Gas | |
| Production: | 73,180 bbl/day (2005 est.) | 1 billion cu m (2004 est.) |
| Consumption: | 1 million bbl/day (2005 est.) | 47 billion cu m (2004 est.) |
| Exports: | 474,200 bbl/day (2005 est.) | 863 million cu m (2004 est.) |
| Imports: | 1 million bbl/day (2005 est.) | 47 billion cu m (2004 est.) |
| Reserves: | 158 million bbl (1 January 2006 est.) | 341 billion cu m (1 January 2006 est.) |
| Major fields: |
France - recent news
| 14 Oct 25 |
France: wpd solar France begins construction of the Marcy solar park wpd solar France has officially begun construction work on the Marcy solar park in the Nièvre department in central France. The photovoltaic park, with an installed capacity of 140.6 megawatts peak, will cover an area of 187 hectares and cover the annual electricity consumption of almost 78,800 residents. |
| 14 Oct 25 |
France: RWE announces the recipients of its community benefit fund in France for 2025 The RWE community benefit fund will support local projects serving the public interest in the Normandy and Hauts-de-France regions. The fund is financed by up to €2,000 per megawatt of installed capacity of renewable projects in operation. A total of €120,000 will be awarded to eight associations to support local initiatives benefiting residents. |
| 01 Oct 25 |
France: TotalEnergies divests 50% of a 270 MW portfolio in France In line with its renewables business model, TotalEnergies has announced the completion of the sale of 50% of a 270 MW wind and solar portfolio in France to investment funds managed by Eiffel investment Group. This transaction values the portfolio at €265 million. |
| 29 Sep 25 |
France: RWE inaugurates a new solar farm in the Charente-Maritime region, France RWE has officially inaugurated its Pierrières solar farm, located in the municipality of Ardillières in Charente-Maritime, France. Located on a former landfill site, the Pierrières solar farm illustrates how land can be repurposed to support the energy transition. |
| 24 Sep 25 |
France: TotalEnergies selected by the State as operator of the country’s largest renewable energy project The consortium formed by TotalEnergies and RWE has been selected by the Ministry in charge of Industry and Energy as the winner of the Centre Manche 2 (AO8) offshore wind tender. The consortium will be responsible for designing, developing, building, and operating a 1.5 gigawatt (GW) offshore wind farm off the coast of Normandy. |
France - more news
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