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Summary of our market study
The French electricity market is estimated at between 100 and 110 billion euros.
The global electricity market has been experiencing structural growth in volume and value since 2020. Electricity capacity, production and consumption have all increased over this period, with revenues from power generation reaching over $2.3 trillion.
The Asia-Pacific region holds 42% of the market, compared with 23% for Western Europe.
Dynamics of the French electricity market
The opening up to competition in 2007 has enabled alternative suppliers to challenge incumbents like EDF, making the market more dynamic.
The French electricity market is stable, with more than 500 billion kilowatt-hours produced per year, and around 450 billion kilowatt-hours consumed in France
The residential sector is responsible for almost 40% of electricity consumption, mainly for heating, air conditioning and household electronics.
Businesses and professionals, including SMEs and the tertiary sector, account for a larger share of electricity demand than large-scale industry.
Metallurgy, the food industry and the chemical industry are among the biggest consumers in their segment.
Despite market liberalization, incumbent suppliers retain a large market share.
In terms of distribution and transmission, the networks are managed by monopolistic entities, with RTE handling transmission and Enedis distribution.
The transition to renewable energies continues to reshape the French electricity landscape.
French electricity market players
- EDF (Électricité de France)
- EDF subsidiaries RTE and Enedis manage the country's transmission and distribution networks respectively.
- Local Distribution Companies (ELD) maintain a local presence, serving specific territories in France.
- Engie, one of the world's leading energy suppliers
- Total Direct Energie, the leading alternative supplier
- Alpiq and Uniper These suppliers offer specialized services and market offerings tailored to the needs of large and medium-sized consumers.
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Summary and extracts
1 Market overview
1.1 Definitions
Electricity is a form of energy that can be produced in a variety of ways, and is used to power electrical appliances and devices. The electricity market is organized around four main areas: generation, supply, transmission and distribution.
On July 1, 2007, the French electricity and natural gas markets were fully opened up to competition. This enabled new players to enter the market and compete with incumbent leaders such as EDF, which held a virtual monopoly on its own (some local public companies were nevertheless authorized to continue operating as Entreprises Locales de Distribution (ELD)).
To enable free competition, it was necessary to separate the activities. As EDF was involved from generation to supply of electricity, it was necessary to separate the different activities in order to open up certain parts to competition. From this, 4 activities emerged:
- generation: the power plants that produce electricity
- transmission : the transport of the electricity produced, high voltage
- distribution: the second part of transport, from low voltage to the distribution of this electricity to the various points of use
- sale or supply : the wholesale purchase of electricity, followed by resale at the various points of consumption
In France, electricity transmission still operates as a monopoly and is handled by RTE (Commission de Régulation de l'Energie), an EDF subsidiary. Electricity distribution is also close to a monopoly, as it is mainly handled by Enedis, another EDF subsidiary, but also by other local distribution companies.
Electricity generation and supply, on the other hand, are open to competition. Several companies are involved in both activities, including EDF, Direct Energie and Engie.
Sales in the French electricity market are on the rise, even though electricity consumption is stagnating. Electricity production reached 531 billion kilowatt-hours in 2021. This situation is mainly due to rising electricity prices. While opening up to competition was supposed to bring prices down, rising costs and limited access to raw materials have led to higher tariffs.
This rise in prices has been reinforced by the development of green energies and more efficient, environmentally-friendly offerings. Indeed, the energy transition has become the central issue for the sector, and represents a potential for future growth.
List of charts presented in this market study
- Global electricity capacity, production and consumption
- Global power generation market
- World electricity demand by region
- Top 10 largest utilities based on 2021 revenues
- French electricity generation by energy source
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Latest news
Engie accelerates battery development in the United States - 25/09/2024
- 1. Storage capacity added by Engie in the U.S. since January: 1 gigawatt (GW), bringing total U.S. installations to 1.8 GW.
- 2. Total capacity of Engie installations worldwide: 2.3 GW.
- 3. Engie's renewable generation capacity in the U.S.: 6 GW.
- 4. Percentage of flexibility required*: 20 to 30% for 100 megawatts of installed generation capacity.
Engie persuades BASF to acquire biogas for the long term - 05/07/2024
- Biogas contract duration: 7 years
- Delivery location: Ludwigshafen in Germany and Antwerp in Belgium
- - Biomethane use: Replacement of fossil gas in various production processes (automotive industry, packaging, detergents, textiles, etc.)
- - biomethane is almost three times more expensive than fossil gas
- - Number of similar contracts signed by Engie: 5, including one with chemical company Arkema
Engie launches Dutch biomethane production - 16/04/2024
**Engie's target for 2030**: to reach a biomethane production capacity of 10 TWh.
**Engie's current production capacity**: over 1 TWh
**Capacity of new units in the Netherlands**:- **Hardenberg**: 90 GWh, with possible extension to 140 GWh. - **Alkmaar**: 47 GWh, with potential to double capacity.
**Engie investment by 2030**: 3 billion euros in biogas
**Biomethane prices**: - In the Netherlands: between €90 and €105 per MWh. - In France: around €110 per MWh.
**Distribution of Engie capacity by country**: - Netherlands: 137 GWh. - United Kingdom: 217 GWh. - France: approx. 0.7 TWh.
Engie New Ventures bets on Upstream Tech, a start-up specializing in water management - 16/12/2023
- Creation of ENGIE New Ventures (ENV): 2014
- Total amount invested by ENV: Over 250 million euros
- ENV investment areas from 2020: Biogas, hydrogen, renewable energies and decarbonization
- Upstream Tech creation date: 2016
- Upstream Tech headquarters: Massachusetts, USA
- Number of Upstream Tech employees: Around 30
- Power of ENGIE's hydroelectric fleet worldwide: 18 gigawatts, equivalent to 18 nuclear reactors.
Install 11,000 charging stations in France in two years - 18/06/2023
- Engie Vianeo electric mobility brand
- 12,000 electric charging points planned in France by 2025
- 1,000 charging points already deployed
- 800 fast and ultra-fast charging points on APRR, SANEF, Vinci Autoroutes and ESSO motorway networks (Certas Energy France)
- Presence in 35 Indigo parking lots in 20 cities, Eurométropole de Strasbourg, Communauté d'Agglomération d'Epinal, Métropole Aix-Marseille-Provence, B & B Hotels parking lots and Norauto sites
- 4,500 fast and ultra-fast charging points (less than 20 minutes charging time).
- electricity from renewable sources (hydro, wind and solar)
- French national target of 400,000 charging points by 2030
Solar panels: Enel builds a gigafactory to break away from China - 07/02/2023
- Investment of €600 million
- 15-fold increase in annual production capacity at its photovoltaic panel plant in Catania, Sicily
- The Italian plant will then overtake that of the Swiss Meyer Burger group in Freiberg, eastern Germany, with an annual capacity of 400 megawatts - eventually to be increased to 1 gigawatt
- Its subsidiary Enel Green Power has increased its worldwide renewable energy capacity to 59 gigawatts by 2022
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