26 July 2010: The International Energy Agency (IEA) has released the latest in its series of policy reviews, “Energy Policies of IEA Countries – France 2009 Review,” which covers energy framework policies, sectoral policies and energy technologies.

France’s energy policies, which are framed within a comprehensive environmental programme, received significant praise from the IEA for efforts to reduce consumption, improve energy security, and combat climate change. The report notes, however, that although French industry has one of the lowest carbon dioxide outputs of an industrialized country, this rests on a nuclear electricity sector with a “huge responsibility to ensure that the nuclear waste management is addressed in a sustainable way,” said IEA Executive Director Nobuo Tanaka.

The report recommends that the French Government should: strive for timely implementation of newly announced transport and building sector policies; enhance competition in electricity generation and retail sectors; promote integration of transmission networks with neighboring countries; and focus on demand-side management for future energy policy, with an emphasis on better managing increases in electricity demand in the winter months. [IEA Press Release] [Publication Website] [Executive Summary]