France to double state support to increase use of electricity as energy source

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PARIS: France will spend up to 10 billion euros ($11.72 ​billion) annually through to 2030 to help the country switch ‌to using electricity instead of oil and gas and their derivative fuels, marking a doubling of current state support, Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu ​said on Friday.The measures, which include boosting the ​use of electric vehicles through to modernising heating in ⁠homes, are meant to help wean the country ​off imported energy to avoid future disruptions like that caused ​by the current war in Iran, which has paralysed seaborne oil and gas cargoes transiting the Strait of Hormuz and destroyed energy ​infrastructure in the Middle East.“Today 60 percent of our ​energy consumption comes from these imported fossil fuels, though our domestically ‌produced ⁠nuclear power is three times cheaper,” Lecornu said in a televised address.“As long as we depend on oil and gas, we will continue to pay the price of ​other people’s wars, ​which unfortunately ⁠will continue and will impoverish us,” he added.France will aim to replace 85 Terawatt-hours ​worth of gas, or 20% of France’s ​annual gas ⁠import bill, with domestic electricity by 2030.France also plans to install an additional one million heat pumps every year ⁠between ​now and 2030, and block new ​gas boilers for heating in newly constructed housing beginning next year.