From Loi Grémillet to PPE3: What France’s energy shift means for solar

France’s energy policy has undergone a turbulent two years. What began as the highly debated Loi Grémillet, a parliamentary proposal to define the country’s energy mix for 2025–2035, ultimately gave way to a government decree adopting the third Programmation pluriannuelle de l’énergie (PPE3) in February 2026.

While the bill itself never became law, the debate around it significantly shaped the final energy roadmap. For solar designers and developers, understanding this sequence is key to navigating today’s regulatory landscape.

What is Loi Grémillet?

The proposition de loi Grémillet, introduced by Senator Daniel Grémillet (Les Républicains), sought to establish France’s long-term energy programming for 2025–2035.

Its stated objectives were to provide a structured framework for France’s long-term energy transition while reinforcing national energy sovereignty. 

The proposal also aimed to strengthen industrial competitiveness by securing reliable, domestically controlled electricity production. Central to the text was the ambition to reassert nuclear power as the backbone of the French electricity mix, positioning it as the primary pillar of the country’s decarbonisation and economic strategy.

The proposal placed strong emphasis on reviving nuclear energy, targeting 27 GW of new nuclear capacity by 2050, including the construction of 14 EPR2 reactors.

However, the most controversial provision was a proposed moratorium on new utility-scale solar and onshore wind projects, pending a broader reassessment of France’s energy strategy. Critics warned this would freeze investment, stall projects in development, and destabilize thousands of jobs across the renewables value chain.

What happened in Parliament?

The bill’s journey reflected political divisions:

• May 2025: Adopted in first reading by the Senate with strong support.

• June 2025: Rejected by the National Assembly by a wide margin.

• July 2025: A revised version was adopted again by the Senate.

• Late 2025: The legislative process stalled, with no agreement between chambers.

Because both chambers must adopt identical text for a law to pass, the proposal never completed the parliamentary shuttle. Without Assembly approval, it could not be promulgated as law.

By early 2026, the Loi Grémillet was effectively dormant.

Why the debate mattered

Although the bill ultimately failed to pass through Parliament, it crystallised a broader national debate about France’s long-term energy priorities. For its supporters, the case for the proposal rested on a renewed commitment to nuclear power. 

They argued that nuclear energy remains indispensable for achieving large-scale decarbonisation while maintaining stable electricity prices for households and industry. In their view, expanding nuclear capacity would also strengthen France’s energy independence and support a wider strategy of industrial re-sovereignisation, anchoring strategic value chains within the country.

Opponents, however, saw the issue very differently. Environmental NGOs, renewable energy associations, and several political groups warned that sidelining wind and solar would undermine France’s climate commitments and send destabilising signals to investors. 

They argued that restricting renewables could freeze regional economic development, particularly in rural areas where many projects are located, and put tens of thousands of jobs across the clean energy sector at risk.

Industry bodies such as SER, France Renouvelables, and Enerplan strongly opposed the proposed moratorium, calling it economically counterproductive and inconsistent with EU decarbonisation targets.

Even though the moratorium was never enacted, the uncertainty it created slowed permitting decisions and increased financing risk for projects in development.

Enter PPE3: The government takes the lead

With Parliament deadlocked, the government proceeded through a different legal channel.

In February 2026, the executive adopted the PPE3 (Programmation pluriannuelle de l’énergie 2025–2035) by decree. Unlike a law, a decree does not require a parliamentary vote; it is issued by the executive branch under its regulatory powers.

This distinction matters:

• A law (loi) is adopted by Parliament and sits higher in the legal hierarchy.

• A decree (décret) is adopted by the government and can be modified more easily.

The PPE3 decree now serves as France’s official energy roadmap through 2035.

What does PPE3 change?

The final PPE3 reflects elements of the Grémillet debate but adopts a more balanced framework.

Key orientations include:

• Confirmation of a major nuclear expansion programme, including EPR2 deployment.

• Continued electrification of transport and industry.

• Acceleration of grid reinforcement and storage capacity.

• Maintenance, rather than suspension, of renewable deployment targets.

Crucially, no moratorium on solar or wind was adopted.

While nuclear is positioned as a structural pillar of France’s energy mix, solar and wind remain integral to meeting climate and electrification goals. The decree restores policy visibility that had been in question during the parliamentary impasse.

What does PPE 3 mean for solar designers and developers

For professionals in the solar sector, the shift from parliamentary uncertainty to regulatory clarity is significant.

Short-term impact

The political deadlock of 2025 created significant uncertainty across the sector. Project pipelines slowed as developers faced delays in permitting and approvals, while investor hesitation increased in response to unclear policy signals. At the same time, regulatory risk premiums rose, reflecting concerns about potential shifts in national energy priorities.

However, with PPE3 now in force, the landscape has stabilised. There is no legislative freeze on solar development, and national capacity targets provide clearer direction for upcoming auctions and permitting processes. In addition, grid reinforcement and storage planning frameworks are now more predictable, offering greater visibility for medium- and long-term project development.

With PPE3 now adopted, France’s solar market has regained momentum. The plan implies around 17 GW of additional PV capacity by 2030 versus the end-2025 baseline, restoring auction visibility and pipeline confidence. While no explicit BESS capacity target is set, PPE3 formally recognises storage as essential for flexibility and system stability, supporting near-term battery deployment through market and capacity mechanisms.

Medium- to long-term outlook

The strategic emphasis on electrification, EVs, heat pumps, industrial decarbonisation, implies growing electricity demand. Even with expanded nuclear capacity, renewables remain essential to meeting peak loads and regional supply needs.

Solar in particular benefits from:

• Shorter deployment timelines compared to nuclear

• Falling technology costs

• Synergies with storage and agrivoltaics

That said, policy emphasis on nuclear may influence public funding allocation, connection priorities, and political messaging. Developers should monitor future implementing decrees and auction schedules closely.

Looking to 2035, PPE3 signals 24–49 GW of additional solar capacity, reinforcing renewables’ structural role alongside nuclear expansion. Although batteries are not assigned a national GW objective, storage is positioned as critical to integrating higher renewable volumes, reducing curtailment and meeting flexibility needs, suggesting sustained, market-driven BESS growth over time.

The broader picture: Competition or complementarity?

The Grémillet episode exposed a recurring tension in French energy policy: nuclear versus renewables.

The PPE3 decree suggests a different framing, complementarity rather than substitution.

France’s decarbonisation strategy now rests on:

• Long-term nuclear baseload

• Accelerated renewable deployment

• Demand electrification

• Grid modernisation

For the solar sector, the message is clearer than it was in mid-2025: while nuclear is politically prioritised, solar remains structurally necessary.

Designing Grid‑Ready Solar in France’s PPE3 Framework

In a PPE3 landscape where solar remains structurally necessary, and where storage and grid-readiness are rising priorities, developers and engineers need to iterate designs quickly, document decisions, and validate economics early. 

RatedPower is built for utility‑scale PV and hybrid PV+BESS workflows, automating layout generation, equipment sizing, and producing complete deliverables (BoQ, drawings, reports) in editable formats, turning work that often takes weeks into minutes.  With permitting and grid constraints consistently cited as leading barriers, digitalizing feasibility and design is becoming a practical advantage, not a nice-to-have.

RatedPower supports documentation outputs in multiple languages, including French, helping teams standardize deliverables across stakeholders.

Final takeaway

The Loi Grémillet never became law.  Instead, France’s energy direction is now defined by the PPE3 decree adopted in February 2026, which confirms nuclear expansion while maintaining renewable deployment as a core component of the 2025–2035 strategy.

For solar designers and developers, the period of legislative uncertainty has ended, but strategic positioning within a nuclear-forward policy environment will be essential.

France’s energy future is no longer a parliamentary battleground. It is now a regulatory framework, and solar still has a decisive role to play.