RTE proposes €100bn plan for France’s transmission network

French TSO RTE has proposed investments prioritising developments of its network of the order of €100 billion by 2040.

The proposal, part of RTE’s next ‘Ten-year network development’ plan for the period from 2025 to 2040, is aimed to deliver one of the most significant developments since its creation to ensure that the French network is able to meet the country’s and Europe’s energy and climate objectives.

The last network development plan was published in 2019. However, since then, the state has redefined its energy policy, including a revival of nuclear power, the acceleration of renewables and reindustrialisation through the development of low-carbon industrial zones.

Goals include strengthening the country’s energy sovereignty by reducing its dependence on imported fossil fuels, developing its carbon-free electricity production capacity and relocating key components of the value chain for the technologies of the future.

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The new network development plan is focused on three broad objectives, of which one is the connection of new producers and consumers of electricity, including the new industries, particularly in port industrial zones, and both onshore and offshore renewables.

RTE estimates that by 2040 the new connections could include up to 100GW of onshore wind and solar, 25GW of offshore wind, 6.5GW of new nuclear, 15GW of industrials, 5GW of data centres and several GW of energy storage.

A second objective is to adapt the structure of the transmission network, mainly at the 400kV level, which forms the ‘backbone’ of France’s electricity system.

The system has not been significantly modified since the 1990s and while it has adapted so far, there is increasing risk of congestion and proposals range from ‘lightweight’ solution such as the development of flexibilities and general network strengthening to the creation of new transmission axes.

The third is to adapt the network to the changing climate and the growing prevalence of extreme weather events with a major programme of renewal of the most sensitive infrastructures.

For example, more than 20% of the overhead lines are around 70 years old.

Network plan focuses

To meet these challenges the central focuses of the network development plan are on industrial, temporal and spatial planning for a new connection programme, the scheduling of the modifications to the 400kV network, particularly focussed on decarbonisation and reindustrialisation, and the definition of an infrastructure renewal programme taking into account the average age of the network.

To meet these, an investment growth strategy is proposed that aims to be sustainable and based on clear priorities, a programme for equipment and the management of skills.

Further key issues that need to be addressed are material and equipment supply chain challenges and the long term industrial developments for RTE’s project planning.

RTE’s proposals for its network development plan are now out for consultation until 30 April 2024, with a series of documents covering the aforementioned challenges and proposals.

The responses will then be used to refine the technical, economic and environmental details and to construct an industrial trajectory.

The final plan will be consulted with the regulatory agency CRE and finally submitted to the French government for approval.