France’s prime minister has instructed his ministers to step up the processes of electrification, in order to make the country less dependent on imported oil.
Sébastien Lecornu on Wednesday wrote to ministers telling them to identify “priority projects” for the electrification of the country, in order to lower dependence on imported oil.
The switch from fossil fuels to electrification – which in France is mainly produced by the nuclear sector – is a long-standing environmental project, part of the country’s Project Zero plans.
However the ‘oil shock’ created by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz following the US-Israeli attacks on Iran has focused thinking around the world – since relying on renewable or home-grown energy sources is not only better for the environment, it reduces a country’s vulnerability to international shocks.
Lecornu told the Public Accounts Minister David Amiel to “work towards allocating any surplus tax revenue resulting from the rise in fuel prices to fund the priority measures in the electrification plan”.
The soaring price of petrol and diesel has resulted in an increase in tax revenue collected by the government. Lecornu has been under intense pressure to use these extra funds to help households and businesses struggling with the price rises.
However it seems that he instead intends to use the extra cash to accelerate the country’s electrification plan.
The government has already announced €50 million of aid for the haulage industry – but hauliers say it is not enough to compensate for the higher prices they must pay for fuel. Truckers have been staging a series of roadblocks and blockades across France in an attempt to pressure the government into either capping the cost of fuel or lowering fuel taxes.
