The government has selected 109 "electrification territories" tasked with large-scale pilot projects to reduce reliance on fossil fuels. Chosen from 197 applications, these territories encompass 6,676 municipalities and over 14 million inhabitants, representing more than one in four French people. The government aims to accelerate the replacement of gas and oil with electricity generated in France , particularly to limit the exposure of households and businesses to fluctuations in international energy prices.
The scheme primarily targets rural areas, which account for 87% of the recipients, but several major urban centers such as Lyon, Bordeaux, Metz, Nancy, Strasbourg, and Grenoble have also been selected. Corsica, Martinique, Réunion , and the Basque Country agglomeration community are also among the areas included. Up to €10 billion could be fully utilized by 2030, notably through energy savings certificates financed by energy suppliers.
Boilers, cars and gas networks concerned
In practical terms, local authorities will be able to accelerate the replacement of gas or oil-fired boilers with heat pumps, district heating networks, geothermal energy, or other renewable energy solutions. France still has approximately two million oil-fired boilers. The program also includes plans for more charging stations for electric vehicles, as well as support for businesses and the agricultural sector, particularly for electrifying certain facilities such as greenhouses.
In some rural areas, the experiment could extend to shutting down sections of the gas network when maintaining it becomes particularly costly, without cutting off the industrial or biogas production facilities that depend on it. Each region now has until December 1st to finalize its roadmap with support from ADEME (the French Agency for Ecological Transition). A second phase of the plan is scheduled to launch in October, as the government reiterates that gas and oil still account for 60% of the energy consumed in France and aims to increase the use of nuclear and renewable electricity produced domestically.
