Revised every five years, the National Low-Carbon Strategy (SNBC) sets out France’s direction and climate targets for the coming years.
This third version of the French low-carbon roadmap, adopted by decree in July 2026, sets out key insights into the priorities for public policy, the expected changes in the sectors, and the opportunities for businesses and innovation stakeholders.
It therefore joins the ranks of the Multi-annual Energy Programme (PPE) and National Climate Change Adaptation Plan (PNACC) in the French Energy and Climate Strategy.
REMINDER
SNBC = the long-term pathway for reducing GHG emissions, and therefore the key tool for mitigating climate change.
PPE = the operational guidelines for energy policy over the next ten years, setting out the priorities and targets for each energy sector.
PNACC = measures to adapt to the consequences of climate change.
The three documents form the French Energy and Climate Strategy (SFEC) and are interlinked. The SNBC and the PPE are based, in particular, on a common baseline scenario.
A new framework to accelerate decarbonisation
The ambition of this SNBC 3 remains unchanged in the long term:
- -50 % in regional greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 compared with 1990; ;
- carbon neutrality by 2050; ;
- a gradual phase-out of fossil fuels; ;
- reduction in energy consumption; ;
- reduction in the carbon footprint associated with French consumption.
But it marks a shift: it no longer focuses solely on programmes produced in France.
France has become the first country to set a quantified target for reducing its carbon footprint, which includes emissions associated with the goods and services consumed, whether produced within or outside its borders.
The objective is particularly ambitious: reduce France’s carbon footprint of 71 to 79 % by 2050 compared with 2010, representing a carbon footprint of between 160 and 215 MtCO₂e, or 2.3 to 3.1 tonnes of CO₂e per capita by 2050. By way of comparison, France’s carbon footprint is estimated at 563 MtCO₂e, or 8.2 tCO₂e per capita in 2024.
Carbon budgets: a quantified pathway now in place up to 2038
The SNBC 3 translates this ambition into greenhouse gas emission caps that must not be exceeded over five-year periods: the carbon budgets.
They are expressed as annual averages and broken down by sector and by type of gas. They enable the long-term goal of carbon neutrality to be translated into intermediate targets and ensure that France remains on track. The SNBC 3 updates the 2024–2028 and 2029–2033 budgets and sets the budget for 2034–2038
Period
2024-2028
2029-2033
2034-2038
Average annual carbon budget
342 MtCO₂e/year
262 MtCO₂e/year
194 MtCO₂e/year
The budget therefore falls from 342 to 194 MtCO₂e/year between the periods 2024–2028 and 2034–2038, i.e. a fall of more than 40 %.
For businesses, local authorities and innovation stakeholders, these figures are, above all, an indicator of the pace of transformation expected in the French economy.
SNBC 3: what is changing and what this means for the energy sectors
The strategy is structured around seven strategic objectives:
1. Achieve a massive decarbonisation of the economy
2. Achieve carbon neutrality by 2050
3. Strengthening energy sovereignty and moving away from fossil fuels
4. Reducing energy consumption
5. Strengthen carbon sinks
6. Ensuring a fair and sustainable transition
7. Reduce France’s carbon footprint.
These objectives are set out in sector-specific guidelines for industry, transport, buildings, agriculture, energy, waste and carbon sinks, as well as in cross-cutting guidelines and targets relating to the carbon footprint.
For those involved in the energy transition, several key trends are emerging.
- From reducing emissions to a broader approach to the carbon footprint
SNBC 3 no longer focuses solely on domestic emissions: it explicitly takes into account the carbon footprint and emissions associated with imports. It also sets, for the first time, a quantified target for this footprint.
What this changes: This strengthens the link between decarbonisation, industrial production in France, supply chains and competitiveness. Developing low-carbon solutions is no longer enough; we must also contribute to mastering the technology behind them and ensuring they can be scaled up across the country.
- The transformation of usage is becoming a key issue
SNBC 3 confirms that achieving carbon neutrality does not rely solely on the development of new low-carbon energy generation capacity. Above all, it involves a fundamental transformation of our energy use, with a view to reducing energy consumption and gradually phasing out fossil fuels.
This shift presents a major challenge: it is not just a matter of consuming less, but also of consuming differently, by adapting equipment, industrial processes, buildings, transport and, more broadly, energy systems to the low-carbon resources available.
This transformation involves, in particular:
- Energy efficiency and energy conservation, to reduce requirements; ;
- The electrification of end-use applications, particularly in industry, transport and the building sector, where this is a suitable solution; ;
- The development of renewable heat, particularly for repo
- The development of low-carbon energy sources, including solar and nuclear power; ;
- Low-carbon hydrogen, for certain applications where it is difficult to supply electricity directly; ;
- Storage and flexibility, essential for aligning production and consumption; ;
- The development and adaptation of networks, to support these new balances; ;
- And more broadly, the emergence of new energy models, more integrated, local and interconnected.
The challenge, therefore, is no longer simply to produce more low-carbon energy, but to rethink the way in which energy is produced, distributed, stored and consumed.
For industrial and technological players, this development thus opens up a field of innovation that goes far beyond production technologies alone: new processes, energy efficiency, consumption management, hybrid solutions, storage, renewable heat and the optimisation of energy systems are all becoming key drivers for accelerating the transition away from fossil fuels.
The energy transition is thus taking on a new dimension: it is not only transforming the energy mix, but also the ways in which energy is used and the systems that organise it.
- Industry: decarbonisation and reindustrialisation are more inextricably linked than ever and form the foundation of the European economic model
Reindustrialisation is not a new concept in SNBC 3. However, The new strategy clearly reinforces the link between decarbonisation, industrial competitiveness and sovereignty. The climate transition can no longer be considered in isolation from France’s and Europe’s ability to produce, innovate and master the technologies required for this transformation.
The reasoning goes as follows: to decarbonise our economy whilst strengthening our capacity to produce in France and across Europe and to reduce our strategic dependencies.
This approach addresses a twofold challenge. On the one hand, industry must continue to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions and transform its processes, energy consumption and production methods. On the other hand, this transformation presents an opportunity to develop new industrial sectors, create value and strengthen expertise in strategic technologies.
SNBC 3 thus places the climate transition within a broader vision of resilience and economic sovereignty: producing more low-carbon solutions locally, securing supplies, developing skills and accelerating the industrialisation of innovations are all essential conditions for the success of the transition.
For businesses, This development also means that environmental performance and economic performance are becoming increasingly intertwined. Decarbonising a process can help reduce energy dependence, strengthen the competitiveness of an industrial site, or even enable a company to anticipate changes in markets and regulations.
For the energy sectors, There are therefore a number of key challenges: the development of low-carbon energy sources, the electrification of industrial processes, energy efficiency, hydrogen, storage, networks and recycling, as well as the development and industrialisation of technologies that will enable the decarbonisation of the economy.
- Transport: electrification, modal shift and low-carbon fuels
The transport sector remains the largest emitter of greenhouse gases in France, with 125.4 MtCO₂e in 2024. The SNBC 3 sets out a target of reducing emissions from the sector by 26 % by 2030 and aims for near-carbon neutrality by 2050.
The strategy combines several approaches:
- Electrification of land vehicles; ;
- Improving their energy efficiency; ;
- Demand management; ;
- Development of public transport and active mobility; ;
- Modal report; ;
- Development of rail and river freight transport; ;
- Sustainable fuels for sectors that are difficult to electrify, particularly aviation and shipping.
This approach opens up new possibilities in the areas of charging infrastructure, energy storage, energy systems, hydrogen, synthetic fuels and solutions for sectors that are difficult to electrify.
- Energy sovereignty: reducing dependence on fossil fuels
The SNBC 3 places greater emphasis on energy sovereignty, explicitly making the safeguarding of energy sovereignty and the phase-out of fossil fuels one of its strategic objectives.
Against a backdrop of geopolitical tensions, volatile energy prices and continued dependence on fossil fuel imports, decarbonisation and energy sovereignty appear, now more than ever, to be two aspects of the same journey.
This ambition also raises the issue of technological and industrial expertise. Energy sovereignty does not rest solely on the ability to produce energy within a country’s borders: it also requires mastery of the technologies, equipment and value chains that enable this energy to be produced, transported, stored and used.
This trajectory is directly linked to the challenges facing the nuclear, solar, low-carbon hydrogen, bioenergy, energy storage, grid and flexibility sectors, as well as to innovations that improve energy efficiency and transform energy use patterns.
- Carbon sinks are a major issue
Reducing emissions alone will not be enough to achieve carbon neutrality.
The SNBC 3 therefore also aims to consolidate natural carbon sinks, which have deteriorated in recent years, particularly through the land, agriculture and forestry sectors, as well as the gradual development of technological carbon sinks.
What this means in practical terms for those involved in the energy transition
Beyond its targets, SNBC 3 provides, above all, an indication of the future needs of the French economy.
- Speeding up electrification
The development of low-carbon electricity and the electrification of end-use sectors are expected to continue to drive demand for generation, grids, storage, flexibility and smart energy management.
- Decarbonising industrial processes
Businesses will need to implement solutions that enable them to reduce their fossil fuel consumption and process emissions whilst maintaining their competitiveness.
- Developing complementary energy sources
Electrification alone will not be able to meet all energy needs. Hydrogen, biogas, biomass, sustainable fuels and low-carbon molecules therefore still have a role to play in sectors that are difficult to electrify.
- Strengthening the integration of the circular economy into the decarbonisation pathway
Decarbonisation and the circular economy are not two separate paths: they reinforce one another. The SNBC 3 thus reflects a commitment to integrating the issues of resource efficiency, reuse, recycling and resource recovery more fully into the transformation of the economic model.
- Thinking about competitiveness and sovereignty
The energy transition is now more explicitly linked to industrial challenges such as securing supplies, reindustrialisation, mastering strategic technologies and developing national and European value chains.
- Anticipating skills requirements
The transformation of sectors also requires new technical, industrial, digital, regulatory and commercial skills. The ability to train and attract talent therefore becomes a key factor in the success of this transition.
A roadmap… but above all a framework for action
The SNBC 3 does not, on its own, constitute the full range of measures required to achieve these objectives. It sets out a roadmap and guidelines which must then be translated into public policies, regulations, investments, support schemes and funding.
It provides a framework for the changes to be implemented in the coming years: reducing consumption, phasing out fossil fuels, transforming energy use patterns, decarbonising industry, developing low-carbon energy sources, enhancing carbon sinks and reducing the carbon footprint.
For businesses and innovation stakeholders, it confirms, above all, a fundamental trend: the challenges of decarbonisation are now inextricably linked to those of competitiveness, sovereignty and industrialisation.
It is precisely here that some of the challenges for businesses will lie: which technologies will be rolled out? At what pace? With what support mechanisms? Which markets will emerge? And how can national objectives be translated into concrete industrial projects at a regional level?
SNBC 3 is thus less a destination than a compass: it enables us to identify the sectors set to undergo transformation, the technological needs that will emerge, and the opportunities for cooperation, innovation and industrialisation that may result.
In a context where competitiveness, sovereignty and decarbonisation are increasingly intertwined, the ability to offer concrete, industrially viable solutions is becoming a key challenge for France’s energy transition.
View the SNBC’s documents here