Any discussion of energy and sanitation in France inevitably leads to the production of electricity from various sources and to attempts by national and local authorities to meet public demand for water and sewerage. At present, the country depends to a large extent on the production of energy from nuclear energy, while water and sewage constantly occupy the minds and deliberations of the authorities and the population.

Power, water and sewage

The importance of energy, water and sewerage to the health of a country’s population requires constant vigilance to ensure that the health and livelihood of the population are not compromised. France is no exception.

Electricity generation

The main electricity generation company in France is Electricité de France (EDF), which generates and distributes power supplies in the country. The company was formed as a result of the government’s nationalization policies in 1946, in which a number of power producers, transporters, and distributors were forced out of business in favor of a single majority government-owned entity to supply power to the country. .


The company is now a limited liability corporation and the government retains a substantial stake in the company.

renewable energy

  • The use of solar energy in France is gaining popularity due to the fall in its prices and the introduction of government subsidies that were introduced in 2006 to encourage the commercialization of panels. Additionally, power generation from water power has maintained its popularity with 3 hydroelectric dams in operation: Equzon Dam, Etang de Loulcem and Lac de Vouglans.

  • Power generation from the prevailing winds in France will add volume to the amount of electricity produced from renewable sources shortly. The country’s president confirmed the first bidding process in January 2011 to build the first of France’s offshore wind farms. The farms, which will be built off the Atlantic coast, are expected to generate 3 GW of electricity. In 2012 the construction of another park will be processed to generate a similar tension.

Energy production by source

About 74.5% of total electricity production is generated by nuclear fission, while hydropower provides 16.2%. Electricity generation by thermal energy contributes 9.2% and wind power together with other renewable sources generates a low 0.1% although the figure is expected to increase in the future.

Water

  • Treatment: The task of treating the water supply, sewerage and wastewater falls to the municipal authorities of France. In 2008 there were 15,250 water treatment plants and 17,300 wastewater treatment plants. About one million tons of sludge is produced from wastewater treatment, half of which is used in agriculture. The total length of the sewage and water network in France measures about 800,000 km.

  • Sources: France gets its water supply from surface water and groundwater. Surface water is provided by man-made channels, such as the Canal de Marseille which runs through Coudoux, supplying? of Marseille’s drinking water from the Durance River. Groundwater is obtained from wells by pumping to the surface. Total domestic water use in France is about 6 billion cubic meters or only 3% of the total runoff, which is around 191 billion cubic meters. Most of the drinking water supply comes from groundwater (62%), while surface runoff provides 38%.

  • Access: A survey conducted by the Ministry of Agriculture in 1995 indicated that 370,000 permanent residents in rural areas or 0.5% of the total population had access to piped water supplies. Its supply is derived from 30,000 water sources, mostly wells. However, the government plans to increase the access rate to 100%, improve water quality by building protection areas around all wells and springs, as well as maintain water supply by increasing production storage and connections. between existing networks.

sewage water

Although most of the country’s population can discharge their wastewater into the sewer, it remains a fact that around 12 million people or 18% of the total population use home sanitation systems such as septic tanks. It has been observed that out of a total of 41 million inhabitants in rural areas, approximately half are connected to a sewerage system. This means that just over 10 million people need to be connected while, for various reasons, it has not been possible to connect another 9.6 million.

—