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Three French energy associations, representing hydropower producers across France, have described seven steps they believe will boost France¹û¶³´«Ã½ hydropower sector.

The Union Francaise de l’Électricité (French Electricity Union), Syndicat des Énergies Renouvelables (Renewable Energy Syndicate) and France Hydro Electricité published a white paper, Hydropower at the crossroads: giving new momentum to the number one renewable energy, setting out the proposals on 27 June 2017.

According to the organisations, these steps should ‘maintain, sustain and develop’ France¹û¶³´«Ã½ number one renewable electricity source, with a view to boosting the energy transition at home and abroad. The paper calls on the French government to take steps to grow hydropower¹û¶³´«Ã½ share in the energy mix, with a view to achieving the commitments of the Paris Agreement and the 2015 French energy transition law for green growth.

Hydropower currently provides 60 per cent of France¹û¶³´«Ã½ renewable energy, and plays a major role in greening the energy mix nationally, regionally and globally.

However, a slowing market and increasing regulation is putting pressure on the sector, which the organisations behind the paper are concerned could have a negative impact on the energy transition. In response, they have set out the following steps, across three themes:  

• Coordinating national and European policies for better alignment, including: (1) ensuring coherence of policies; (2) assessing the real impact of proposed policies; and (3) improving dialogue and consultation.
• Ensuring economic decisions and tax frameworks incentivise the maintenance and development of hydropower, including: (4) relieving the local tax burden on hydropower development; and (5) establishing a stable and incentivising economic framework.
• Recognising the true value of services delivered to the electricity system, by: (6) establishing an economic model to support pumped storage systems; and (7) recognising the services hydropower delivers to the electricity system in terms of supply-demand balance and security.

Click to read the white paper, Hydroélectricité à la croisée des Chemins: donnons un nouvel élan à la première des énergies renouvelables, in full (FR).