French Energy Giant Calls for Europe-China Collaboration to Advance Energy Transition
On Saturday (July 4), Bernard Fontaine, CEO of EDF, and Patrick Pouyanné, CEO of TotalEnergies, spoke at the Aix-en-Provence Economic Forum, stating that Europe should strengthen cooperation with Chinese industry in driving low-carbon electrification, rather than adopting a closed-off strategy.
According to AFP, Fontaine said he recently visited China to examine the development of China's nuclear power sector, emphasizing France's long-standing partnership with China in nuclear energy.
He noted that China’s industrial execution efficiency is impressive—work that might take two years in France can be completed by Chinese companies in just two weeks. Furthermore, these nuclear power bases were initially built with assistance from French firms. Fontaine stressed that China offers help in terms of methodology and experience, without creating dependency.
“China mainly provides us with methodological and experiential support, which they are happy to share—and this does not lead to dependency. We see that these goals are entirely within our reach; the key is actively learning from and mastering these experiences.”
Pouyanné also highlighted the remarkable execution capability of Chinese enterprises. He mentioned that he recently visited China to understand how the country manages to build a new nuclear reactor on average every month, and how it can construct an entirely new large-scale factory within two years.
Pouyanné believes the biggest difference between China and Europe lies in their regulatory approval systems.
“In China, once a decision is made to build a new plant, land preparation for the industrial park can be completed and construction initiated within two years. In contrast, Europe’s complex administrative procedures significantly slow down project progress,” he said.
Regarding Europe’s attitude toward Chinese investment, Pouyanné stated that Europe should not erect new barriers but instead welcome Chinese companies to invest—provided they cooperate under European-set conditions.
“I’m not afraid of Chinese companies. I believe Europe cannot solve its problems by building a ‘Maginot Line.’ Otherwise, the outcome would only be worse: Chinese companies would still enter the European market, while Europe gains nothing in return,” he said.
Pouyanné reiterated his suggestion that Europe should emulate China’s past approach to attracting foreign investment by establishing joint ventures with Chinese firms on a 51%-49% equity basis and enabling technology sharing.
“Now it’s Europe’s turn to do this. We need China; otherwise, Europe will fall behind.”
TotalEnergies, which has been actively expanding its low-carbon energy business, aims for its power segment to account for 20% of the group’s total sales by 2030.
Pouyanné also affirmed that maintaining high carbon prices in Europe is correct. He emphasized that funds collected from carbon dioxide emissions taxes should be reinvested into industrial decarbonization, rather than used to lower carbon prices.
Bernard Fontaine, CEO of EDF, stated that Europe can still find a path that balances competitiveness with energy transition. The key lies in considering the overall cost of the entire energy system when formulating policies—not just localized costs—while ensuring the stability of grid frequency, power supply capacity, and the balance of the entire system.
Source: rfi
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1869838605666505/
Disclaimer: This article represents the personal views of the author.