France electricity generation: nuclear
France electricity generation: nuclear stood at 373 TWh in 2025, according to ODRé – Open Data Réseaux Énergies (RTE, NaTran, Teréga). It is one of the indicators in the Electricity: annual generation, consumption and capacity table (Value · Annual), with a complete series running from 2012 to 2025. The complete series with an interactive chart, free to download.
This indicator in the Electricity: annual generation, consumption and capacity table
| Indicator | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nuclear | 373 | 361.7 | 320.4 | 279 | 360.7 | 335.4 | 379.5 | 393.2 | 379.1 | 384 | |
| Hydro | 62.4 | 75.3 | 58.8 | 49.6 | 62 | 64.9 | 59.6 | 67.8 | 53.2 | 63.6 | |
| Wind | 49.6 | 46.8 | 50.9 | 38.9 | 36.9 | 39.7 | 33.8 | 28.1 | 24 | 20.9 |
Understanding france electricity generation: nuclear
Quantifying electrical energy produced by nuclear fission reactors, this series measures output from the nation's atomic power stations delivered to the high-voltage transmission grid. The metric encompasses gross generation from all active reactors while excluding internal electricity consumed to operate plant systems and safety mechanisms. Unlike renewable or fossil-based sibling series, nuclear generation depends on technical availability, regulatory outages, and refueling cycles rather than meteorological conditions or fuel commodity prices. It stands apart from intermittent sources by providing baseload power capacity that operates continuously across changing weather patterns.
Evaluating this metric necessitates tracking reactor maintenance schedules and regulatory inspection pauses, which routinely prompt retroactive adjustments to preliminary operational estimates. Analysts should use twelve-month comparisons to evaluate generation shifts, avoiding month-to-month conclusions that reflect refuelling schedules rather than structural capacity changes. Comparing nuclear output directly against variable generation sources requires accounting for capacity factors and baseload stability rather than nominal nameplate capacity.
Frequently asked questions
- What specific energy source is isolated in this table row?
- The series records electrical generation produced exclusively through nuclear fission processes.
- How do scheduled refueling outages affect the reported figures?
- Refueling and maintenance interventions reduce annual output totals and often lead to revisions in early estimates.
- Why does nuclear output differ fundamentally from wind or solar generation?
- Nuclear plants supply continuous baseload electricity unaffected by weather conditions or daylight hours.