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
| 18 Jun 26 |
France: RWE inaugurates three new wind farms in France, in the Hauts-de-France and Grand Est regions RWE has announced the official inauguration this month of three new wind farms located in the Hauts-de-France and Grand Est regions. The Catillon-Fumechon, Chemin de Châlons and Catésis wind farms have a combined installed capacity of 68.8 megawatts (MW). |
| 18 Jun 26 |
France: The French Energy Regulatory Commission publishes its 2025 activity report Structured around several of its new strategic directions, the report reviews the major highlights of the year. It also presents the CRE's initial analyses regarding market monitoring in 2025, which will be further developed in the annual reports on wholesale and retail market monitoring. In particular, it notes that 2025 will be marked by increasing volatility in electricity prices, especially intraday fluctuations, and by record electricity exports. |
| 10 Jun 26 |
France: Vestas announces 112 MW of new orders in France Vestas has announced 112 MW of new orders in France as part of its Q2 2026 order intake. |
| 28 May 26 |
France: TotalEnergies files for authorization of its giant Centre Manche Energies offshore wind project Eight months after being awarded the project by the French State, TotalEnergies’ wholly owned project company Centre Manche Energies has officially applied for the Single Authorization of the 1.5 GW offshore wind farm, which will be sited off the coast of Normandy. |
| 08 May 26 |
France: Voltalia announces commissioning of three solar power plants in southern France Voltalia, an international player in renewable energies, has announced the commissioning of three photovoltaic power plants in south of France, representing a total capacity of 26.9 megawatts. |
France - more news
Other countries in this region
- Afghanistan,
- Albania,
- Armenia,
- Austria,
- Azerbaijan,
- Belarus,
- Belgium,
- Bosnia and Herzegovina,
- Bulgaria,
- Croatia,
- Cyprus,
- Czech Republic,
- Denmark,
- Estonia,
- Faroe Islands,
- Finland,
- Georgia,
- Germany,
- Greece,
- Greenland,
- Hungary,
- Iceland,
- Ireland,
- Italy,
- Kazakhstan,
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- Latvia,
- Lithuania,
- Luxembourg,
- Malta,
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- Netherlands,
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- Spain,
- Sweden,
- Switzerland,
- Tajikistan,
- Tatarstan,
- Turkey,
- Turkmenistan,
- Ukraine,
- United Kingdom,
- Uzbekistan
