Primary energy consumption in France 2019-2023, by fuel

Primary energy consumption in France increased in 2023 when compared to the previous year. That year, the most used energy source in the European country was nuclear power, followed by oil. These figures amounted to **** and **** exajoules, respectively. By comparison, primary energy consumption from renewable sources reached some **** exajoules that year. 

Nuclear energy in France

France is the European leader in the nuclear energy sector, and its nuclear power generation was ** percent of the country's electricity generation in 2023. In the last couple of years, the French nuclear fleet faced some technical problems that forced a temporary shutdown of several nuclear units. In 2022, the monthly nuclear production touched unprecedented lows, but has been on an upward trend ever since. 

Nuclear energy worldwide

The global trend in 2023 was to increase the consumption of nuclear energy, and countries such as China and France follow this trend. Consumption of nuclear energy in the United States, by comparison, has only marginally changed. Although China's nuclear energy consumption is lower than in the United States, it has increased over the years.