Find here the data on electricity generation in France, presented either in aggregate or in detail by generation type: nuclear, conventional thermal, hydro, solar, wind and renewable thermal. The graphs illustrate in particular the emergence of new production sectors in the energy mix, with the development of solar, onshore wind and offshore wind power production capacities. The graphs from "Storage" section illustrate, in particular, the development of battery connections to the grid and pumped storage plants.
Production Hydraulique [EN]
Evolution of hydropower generation
- Incomplete year
- Preliminary data
Informations and sources
Hydropower plants are an important part of the French electricity mix.
Hydropower plants can be divided into three categories, depending on the size of the reservoir upstream of the plant:
- Lake-type plants associated with a reservoir whose filling time exceeds 400 hours. Lake-type plants are managed on an annual basis, in order to use the available water when it is of maximum value to the power system, while respecting the technical constraints associated with water management in hydraulic valleys.
- Lock-type plants associated with a reservoir whose filling time is between 2 and 400 hours. Lock-type plants are managed on a daily to weekly basis.
- Run-of-river plants associated with a reservoir whose filling time is less than 2 hours. Run-of-river plants have low modulation capacities and their production is mainly conditioned by hydraulic inflows.
This graph gives a monthly and annual overview of hydropower production in mainland France (including Corsica), broken down by sub-sector: lake, lock, run-of-river, other.
Hydropower generation in 2024
Hydropower generation in 2024
The level of production from hydroelectric power stations increased significantly in 2024 compared to 2023. This is the highest level since 2013, achieved thanks to abundant rainfall, with 2024 being one of the ten wettest years since 1959.
Hydropower remained the second largest source of electricity production after nuclear power, and the largest among renewable energy sources.
Find all the analyses on hydropower generation in the 2024 Electricity Review
Evolution of water reserves
- Incomplete year
- Preliminary data
Informations and sources
This graph presents an aggregated view of the producibility contained in water reserves in France.
- The use of water in hydraulic dams is managed in such a way as to optimally distribute the production of the power plants concerned over time, by arbitrating between immediate use, or deferred use in substitution of more costly means of production. This is achieved by estimating the opportunity cost of deferred use of the power plant (or use value). The plant only produces at a given time if the market value of the electricity exceeds the opportunity cost of future use. The value depends on the time in question, the level of consumption, the level of remaining stock, as well as that of other modeled stocks and expected future prices for fuels and electricity. It may therefore happen that the use value of lake hydropower is higher than the cost of thermal power.
- The graph shows, for each year, the evolution of water reserves in aggregated vision and converted into electrical producibility. The evolution of the hydraulic stock depends on the inflows received and the quantity of electricity produced by the hydropower plants.
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