France is set to increase the operating costs for coal generators with the introduction of a new carbon price floor or a coal tax starting next year. As Ana-Maria Tolbaru explains, this could result in the near-3 GW coal fleet being completely displaced, leaving the French system tight especially at peak times during winter.
If gas was already running close to maximum capacity and EDF could not make more nuclear reactors available, France could become much more heavily reliant on imports during the winter months, with flows likely to increase from Switzerland, Italy and Spain.