French President Emmanuel Macron has said France will convert its two coal-fired power stations, with a combined capacity of 1,8 GW, to biomass by 2027.
In a television interview on September 24, Macron discussed plans to meet France's climate targets within seven years. France aims to reduce its emissions by 2030% by 55, compared to 1990 baseline levels, in line with a European Union (EU) target. Macron said this is “feasible” after a special government meeting.
Macron's plans include reducing dependence on fossil fuels and encouraging the use of electric cars.
Annual spending on green initiatives will increase by €7 billion – from €33 billion to €40 billion. Some of this funding will be spent to convert the country's two remaining coal-fired power stations to biomass plants.
The two plants – the 1,2 GW Cordemais and Emile Hutchet's 600 MW plant in Saint Avold – were initially due to close last year, but the energy crisis caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the closure of nuclear reactors in France led to delays.
Greenpeace France released a statement criticizing Macron's policies for not being ambitious enough. “If he was really ambitious and a trailblazer, Emmanuel Macron would also have announced dates for phasing out fossil oil and gas,” said Nicolas Nace, Green Peace energy transition campaigner in France.
Source: bioenergy-news.com
