Doing even more to reduce CO₂ emissions

As the world's leading power producer with no direct CO₂⁽¹⁾, emissions, as early as in 2018, EDF set a target of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. The Group set itself on a trajectory to reduce all its emissions (scope 1, 2 and 3) by 2035 and to a climate transition plan approved by 99.87% at its Annual General Assembly in 2022⁽²⁾ .

Direct CO₂ emissions to be reduced in the short and medium terms

After reducing direct CO₂ emissions by 50% between 2017 and 2022⁽³⁾, the Group has set new targets for 2025, 2030 and 2035, with an ambitious short- and medium-term roadmap for decarbonising its electricity mix:

• By 2025, a 60% reduction in Scope 1 emissions compared to 2017.
• By 2030, a 70% reduction in scope 1 and a carbon intensity of 30 gCO₂/kWh.
• By 2035, an 80% reduction in scope 1 and a carbon intensity of 22 gCO₂/kWh.

As a priority, EDF Group's efforts will focus on effectively reducing all its CO₂ emissions (including scope 3 emissions, which in 2022 accounted for almost 80% of the Group's greenhouse gases) with the aim of reducing them by at least 90% by 2050.

In 2020, EDF Group's strengthened trajectory of CO₂ emissions reduction were approved by Science Based Targets SBTi⁽⁴⁾ on a "Well Below 2°C" pathway.

In February 2024, EDF group's emission reduction targets were validated by Moody's (scope of EDF Ltd) as being in line with a + 1.5°C global warming scenario (consult the score).

In 2024, MSCI issued an assessment of 1.3°C implied temperature rise to EDF for the scope of EDF Ltd. An Implied Temperature Rise of below 1.5°C indicates that Électricité de France is in line with the Paris agreement's maximal goal of keeping global mean temperature to 1.5°C.⁽⁵⁾

In 2024, TPI has validated EDF's emissions trajectory in line with the + 1.5°C global warming scenario for 2035 (consult the score).

⁽¹⁾ Source: ENERDATA 2022 [PDF, 118 kb].   
⁽²⁾ Read the press release of May 22, 2022.
⁽³⁾ In 2017, EDF Group’s direct CO₂ emissions amounted to 51 Mt vs. 24 Mt in 2022.
⁽⁴⁾ Science Based Targets is a joint initiative from CDP, UN Global Compact, World Ressources Institute et World Wild Fund launched following the Paris Agreement in 2015. Read the Press release about 2020 commitments. 
⁽⁵⁾ Reproduced by permission of MSCI ESG Research LLC ©2024. All rights reserved. No further reproduction or dissemination is permitted. See Notice and Disclaimer for Reporting Licenses.

* Direct emissions excluding the life cycle analysis of generating plant and fuel. 
⁽¹⁾ UE 27 value in 2022, European Environment Agency 
⁽²⁾ 2022 value, AIE – World Energy Outlook 2023. 
⁽³⁾ Estimation 2021, EU-27, European Environment Agency, Greenhouse gas emission intensity of electricity generation by country, Oct. 2022.

EDF reduced its CO₂* emissions in mainland France by more than two-thirds from 24 Mt to 7 Mt between 1990 and 2016. In 2022, it delivered the figure of 5.3 MtCO₂*.

The Group achieves its commitments decommissioning power plants producing electricity from plants.

For about twenty years, the Group has been implementing and supporting the decommissioning of the largest number of coal and heavy fuel plants in Europe. From 2017, the Group was involved in the Powering Past Coal Alliance coalition which recommends within the framework of the Paris Agreement the phasing out of coal, from 2030, in the countries.

In 2021, Le Havre power plant in France and two plants of the West Burton A power plant in the United-Kingdom had been decommissioned. The last two units at West Burton A were closed in 2023.

* Direct emissions excluding the life cycle analysis of generating plant and fuel.

EDF Group has the foremost hydropower capacity in the European Union. It is also one of Europe’s leading producers of electricity and heat from renewable sources.

It is highly committed to developing renewable energy, notably wind, solar and hydropower, backed by its nuclear plants as the main source of power. By 2030, the Group aims at increasing its renewable capacity production worldwide by more than 70% to reach GW net.

In France, to support the development of wind and solar power and manage their variability, EDF has been working on making the operation of its nuclear power plants more flexible. As a result, it is now possible to rapidly increase production at some nuclear power plants to offset a drop in wind or solar output; or, conversely, rapidly drop nuclear production when wind and solar production ramp up. Today, the reactors in EDF’s nuclear fleet can modulate around 80% of their power in under 30 minutes. This capability is not found anywhere else in the world.