I imagine the response from Brussels will soon be an EU directive that doesn't permit France from determining what to do with its own electricity, it is a common good and Brussels will make the decisions.
At this point, since old laws are merely suggestions regarding new policies, I think it would be easy. after all, the German's blew up their debt brake for the Green revolution despite numerous assurances it was sacrosanct. here we are talking about the EU and commission who genuinely believe that the only proper election result is one they sanction and if the people don't get the right answer the first time, they will force as many votes as necessary to get there. with that as background, it is not even remotely difficult to believe that the European Commission declares all nuclear power as EU resources under their command. of course, Marine Le Pen would be the next president, but they would cross that bridge when the time came.
So France is selling its electricity with a big discount (and on demand !) to its neighbours.
One can wonder what kind of political arrangement there is here and what's exactly there is for France in such a deal ?
Implicit German guaranty and thus cheaper interests on borrowed money France need so much ? Or it is already third world country economy style ? Selling cheap its "natural" ressources while being unable to make a more profitable use at home by a mix of external pressure, internal corruption, lack of qualified manpower and so on ?...
€59 is what France's own generation costs to run, and the interconnector lets that price flow across different pricing zones until the cables fill up. Any French politician happy with that arrangement long term should be prepared to answer the question you raised.
BSJ, I struggle to understand that the net zero groups in Europe don't see that expensive energy is crushing their manufacturing industry, and data center aspirations. Or do they really not care? It's slow motion economic suicide. I read the VW is talking about cutting 100,000 jobs...it's madness and yet they charge ahead....I can't understand it
It's a mix of three things: people who sincerely believe you can run an economy on wind and solar, plenty of opportunists cashing in on net-zero subsidies, and people who see degrowth as the correct way to atone for the sins the Western world has inflicted on the rest of it.
And those groups will be hit and stunned by the stark fist of reality when the economic ramifications drive the population to a version of the Inquisition demanding to know who destroyed the place and exacting revenge...And Brussels wonders why the right is on the rise across Europe
I think you misunderstand the goals of the net zero groups, it's not simply no CO2, it is no industry at all. in their fantasies, the dirty things like manufacturing upon which they rely for everything, need to go and they are confident they won't be personally impacted. it is a belief system, not a policy process
its' funny, it had always been a two-horse race, in my eyes, between Germany and the UK as to which would collapse first based on their energy policies, but it seems that the UK had more staying power as Germany has already blinked. the real question to me is, will Miliband pay any price for his insanity?
Looks like Burnham might make him Chancellor....then the fun really begins..France's debt is backed by the ECB so they have cover from that bazooka but the UK bond markets are a different story so all the talk of more spending will be fun to watch how the Gilts market moves from now on..
Not just Germany but the UK net zero plans depend on interconnector supply especially from France. Last week the heat in the UK led to solar being contained off ( wind was already almost zero) and France couldn't export because it's river cooled nukes were constrained in the heat. The UK paid a small fortune to get coal generated supply from the Netherlands to save the day with every bit of gas and nuclear on line.
France is going to pull the plug on exports unless like Sweden and Norway it gets paid the value in the receiving country.
It’s a mistake to ascribe this situation to stupidity. It is a desire amongst self-righteous antihuman elites to instantiate the great simplification, and rewind the clock of technology to somewhere around 1895.
I imagine the response from Brussels will soon be an EU directive that doesn't permit France from determining what to do with its own electricity, it is a common good and Brussels will make the decisions.
The normal answer would be "that's legally tricky." But the EU's "whatever it takes" mentality makes this outcome entirely plausible.
At this point, since old laws are merely suggestions regarding new policies, I think it would be easy. after all, the German's blew up their debt brake for the Green revolution despite numerous assurances it was sacrosanct. here we are talking about the EU and commission who genuinely believe that the only proper election result is one they sanction and if the people don't get the right answer the first time, they will force as many votes as necessary to get there. with that as background, it is not even remotely difficult to believe that the European Commission declares all nuclear power as EU resources under their command. of course, Marine Le Pen would be the next president, but they would cross that bridge when the time came.
So France is selling its electricity with a big discount (and on demand !) to its neighbours.
One can wonder what kind of political arrangement there is here and what's exactly there is for France in such a deal ?
Implicit German guaranty and thus cheaper interests on borrowed money France need so much ? Or it is already third world country economy style ? Selling cheap its "natural" ressources while being unable to make a more profitable use at home by a mix of external pressure, internal corruption, lack of qualified manpower and so on ?...
€59 is what France's own generation costs to run, and the interconnector lets that price flow across different pricing zones until the cables fill up. Any French politician happy with that arrangement long term should be prepared to answer the question you raised.
BSJ, I struggle to understand that the net zero groups in Europe don't see that expensive energy is crushing their manufacturing industry, and data center aspirations. Or do they really not care? It's slow motion economic suicide. I read the VW is talking about cutting 100,000 jobs...it's madness and yet they charge ahead....I can't understand it
It's a mix of three things: people who sincerely believe you can run an economy on wind and solar, plenty of opportunists cashing in on net-zero subsidies, and people who see degrowth as the correct way to atone for the sins the Western world has inflicted on the rest of it.
And those groups will be hit and stunned by the stark fist of reality when the economic ramifications drive the population to a version of the Inquisition demanding to know who destroyed the place and exacting revenge...And Brussels wonders why the right is on the rise across Europe
Correct. It's stunning how these people fail to realize that being the "elite" of an impoverished continent isn't that great of a long-term plan.
Let them eat cake did not turn out so well in France
I think you misunderstand the goals of the net zero groups, it's not simply no CO2, it is no industry at all. in their fantasies, the dirty things like manufacturing upon which they rely for everything, need to go and they are confident they won't be personally impacted. it is a belief system, not a policy process
No kidding...what color is the sky in that world...
though those rose colored glasses, they are pink.
And meanwhile in the UK...
https://www.manhattancontrarian.com/blog/2026-6-27-britain-time-to-go-back-to-coal
its' funny, it had always been a two-horse race, in my eyes, between Germany and the UK as to which would collapse first based on their energy policies, but it seems that the UK had more staying power as Germany has already blinked. the real question to me is, will Miliband pay any price for his insanity?
Looks like Burnham might make him Chancellor....then the fun really begins..France's debt is backed by the ECB so they have cover from that bazooka but the UK bond markets are a different story so all the talk of more spending will be fun to watch how the Gilts market moves from now on..
Another great BSJ exposing the complete energy illiteracy of Europe, throw in Blue States in the US and the UK too. 👏👏
Thank you!
Not just Germany but the UK net zero plans depend on interconnector supply especially from France. Last week the heat in the UK led to solar being contained off ( wind was already almost zero) and France couldn't export because it's river cooled nukes were constrained in the heat. The UK paid a small fortune to get coal generated supply from the Netherlands to save the day with every bit of gas and nuclear on line.
France is going to pull the plug on exports unless like Sweden and Norway it gets paid the value in the receiving country.
It’s a no-brainer. Use the energy for a higher value than what the export market offers
The logical next step.
And for a look at the crazy UK net zero policies...
https://www.manhattancontrarian.com/blog/2026-6-27-britain-time-to-go-back-to-coal
The UK and Germany are truly in a head-to-head race for the most self-defeating energy policy.
It’s a mistake to ascribe this situation to stupidity. It is a desire amongst self-righteous antihuman elites to instantiate the great simplification, and rewind the clock of technology to somewhere around 1895.
The mechanism alone gets you there.