EDF launches 30 GW Solar Power Plan

The EDF Group has announced this week the launch of the EDF Solar Power Plan.

Over the period of 2020 to 2035, the EDF Group – through its subsidiary EDF Energies Nouvelles – intends to develop and build solar plants in France with a total 30 GW of installed capacity. These plants will add to EDF's other renewable energy development initiatives in France and worldwide.

As France currently has less than 10 GW of installed solar capacity, this plan will more than quadruple the total capacity of solar power in the country.

The Solar Power Plan aligns with the government’s goal of expanding renewable energy capacity across the country in order to rebalance national energy supply. It is also expected to create tens of thousands of jobs in France during the construction period.

The EDF Group emphasised that it will endeavour to progress quickly. It was suggested at the launch press conference that locations close to nuclear power plants will be utilised, industrial wasteland and dismantled sites will be converted, and floating solar plants will be developed on hydroelectric sites.

At the launch, Jean-Bernard Lévy, EDF Chairman and Chief Executive, stated:

“The Solar Power Plan is of an unparalleled scale and marks a real turning point in EDF’s development of solar power capacity. It is a concrete illustration of the goals outlined in the Group’s CAP 2030 strategy, which was initiated in 2015 and aim to double the Group’s installed renewable energy capacity by 2030. EDF now has a new roadmap in renewables for the next fifteen years”.

Antoine Cahuzac, Group Executive Director in charge of Renewable Energies and Chairman-Chief Executive of EDF Energies Nouvelles, stated: 

“The EDF Group is recognised for its expertise both in France and abroad when it comes to developing all forms of renewable energy. We are proud of our pivotal role in the development of new solar power capacity in France. This effort comes in addition to our plans for expanding on wind and hydro capacity. It is a further sign of the Group’s commitment to the energy transition”.