09. 09. 2026
AUTHOR: Neil Makaroff, Tristan Beucler, and Marin Gillot
The succession of crises, such as the wars in Ukraine and Iran, and their impact on energy markets, constitute wake-up calls: France’s dependence on gas and oil imports exposes it to permanent vulnerability. Each geopolitical shock can quickly translate into higher energy bills for the 13 million households relying on gas or fuel to heat their homes and the 39 million motorists driving diesel or petrol vehicles. In 2025, the average French household effectively wrote a €450 cheque to the United States and Russia to heat its home and fuel its car.
In a new joint report, Strategic Perspectives and Fondation Jean Jaurès highlight that France’s vulnerability to global shocks is still far from inevitable. A solution exists: turning France into an electro-power (électro-puissance). The country enjoys considerable assets to pave the way in Europe:
- abundant, 95% low-carbon, and cost-competitive electricity through its nuclear fleet and, above all, the growth of renewable energy sources.
- many industrial sites that produce the electrical equipment, batteries, wind turbines, and heat pumps it needs to undertake this major electrification programme. Nearly 160 sites and 168,272 industrial jobs are tied to the production and maintenance of decarbonisation technologies.
Over just five years, the right policies can put France on track to becoming an electro-power, with:
- 8 million homes and 7 million vehicles electrified, allowing many citizens to free themselves from their reliance on oil and gas. This could allow households to save up to €3,120 per year.
- 3,100 new industrial jobs generated every month, compounding to a total of 354,778 workers in net-zero industries by 2032. The net-zero transition would then continue to be the main driver of the reindustrialisation of France.
The energy and industrial choices made during the next five years will determine whether French citizens are shielded from future geopolitical shocks. As well as whether the promise of reindustrialising the French economy will become true or fade away.
