France coal electricity generation
France coal electricity generation stood at 0 GWh on Oct 18, 2026, according to ODRé – Open Data Réseaux Énergies (RTE, NaTran, Teréga). It is one of the indicators in the Daily electricity table (Value · Daily), with a complete series running from Jan 1, 2012 to Oct 18, 2026. The complete series with an interactive chart, free to download.
This indicator in the Daily electricity table
| Indicator | 18-10-2026 | 17-10-2026 | 16-10-2026 | 15-10-2026 | 14-10-2026 | 13-10-2026 | 12-10-2026 | 11-10-2026 | 10-10-2026 | 09-10-2026 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Generation by source | |||||||||||
| Coal | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Oil | 2.5 | 0.88 | 0.88 | 0.88 | 0.88 | 0.88 | 1.29 | 0.88 | 0.88 | 1.04 |
Understanding france coal electricity generation
Electrical energy derived from the thermal combustion of hard coal and lignite in power station boilers represents France coal electricity generation. This metric records the gross and net electrical output delivered to the transmission system by coal fired thermal units. It differs from sibling fossil fuel series by reflecting specific solid fuel combustion technologies, historical baseload provisioning, and distinct carbon emission profiles. The scope encompasses all operational coal power units tied to the public grid, while omitting closed facilities, industrial heating plants not connected to transmission networks, and alternative biomass co-firing streams.
Reading this series requires understanding long term energy transition policies and short term wholesale electricity pricing dynamics that dictate fossil fuel dispatch orders. Analysts should rely on annual or multi period trend evaluations rather than daily comparisons, because coal units often operate intermittently as emergency reserve capacity rather than continuous baseload providers. Revisions to early estimates are infrequent but occur when fuel inventory logs and telemetry discrepancies are formally reconciled. A major pitfall involves misinterpreting sudden zero output days as technical failures when they frequently reflect deliberate economic dispatch decisions or environmental mandate restrictions.
Frequently asked questions
- How does coal generation differ operationally from gas generation in the grid?
- Coal units historically served continuous baseload functions but increasingly operate as reserve capacity due to transition policies.
- Are closed coal power stations included with zero values in the historical series?
- Decommissioned plants are removed from active reporting panels, leaving only operational grid connected units in the dataset.
- Why might coal generation remain flat for extended periods?
- Strict environmental caps and economic dispatch hierarchies often relegate coal plants to standby status during periods of adequate low carbon supply.