The European Union : When the Commission and Governments put the Future of Electricity Producers at Stake
RWE, EON, EDF, ENGIE and other large utilities are in financial turmoil. This situation, which would have been unlikely twenty years ago, is related to several failures in governance within the EU as well as to global evolutions. This Edito Energie analyses the situation of large European electricity producers in light of the European energy policy.
This content is available in French: "Union européenne : quand Commission et gouvernements jouent aux quilles avec les grands producteurs d’électricité"
Jacques LESOURNE
Jacques Lesourne was President of the Scientific Committee of the Center for Energy
Center for Energy & Climate
Ifri's Energy and Climate Center carries out activities and research on the geopolitical and geoeconomic issues of energy transitions such as energy security, competitiveness, control of value chains, and acceptability. Specialized in the study of European energy/climate policies as well as energy markets in Europe and around the world, its work also focuses on the energy and climate strategies of major powers such as the United States, China or India. It offers recognized expertise, enriched by international collaborations and events, particularly in Paris and Brussels.
Mining Nationalism and Export Restrictions: The Challenges of Economic Development
Since the end of the 2000s and especially the 2010s, resource nationalism has been on the rise.
Solar Radiation Management: A Climate Tool with Geopolitical Implications
The Paris Agreement (2015) aims to keep global warming below 2 °C, preferably 1.5 °C, above pre-industrial levels. Mitigation (reducing greenhouse gas emissions) remains the core tool for reaching net carbon neutrality by mid-century. However, a temperature overshoot is anticipated. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) forecasts that the 1.5 °C threshold will be exceeded in the coming years, with warming potentially peaking between 2.2 °C and 3.6 °C this century. Against this backdrop, three trends characterize the climate policy debate.
China’s Hydrogen Economy Five Years On
China’s hydrogen sector is not new. It is the world’s largest industrial hydrogen system, rooted in ammonia, methanol, refining, coal chemicals and by-product gas streams.
27 Plans for 2027: Turning the Electrification Action Plan into National Action
With the aim of structurally reducing the European economy’s dependence on fossil fuel imports and accelerating the energy transition, the European Commission has opted for electrification.