Q&A: the Académie expresses itself through its Energy Foresight Committee

The Académie des Sciences puts its expertise at the service of major societal issues, particularly that of energy, where current choices will determine the future. With over 80% of the world's energy still based on fossil fuels, the transition to low-carbon systems is essential if we are to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.

Despite advances in low-carbon energies and decarbonization technologies, many challenges remain, such as grid stability, the role of hydrogen or the potential of electrification. Against this backdrop, the Académie stresses the importance of rigorous scientific insight to guide decision-makers and citizens through this essential transformation.

The Académie des Sciences' Energy Foresight Committee has been in existence for over 20 years. It is made up of numerous specialists from various scientific disciplines (chemistry, biology, physics, mechanics, IT, etc.) recognized by their peers and who are at the heart of the energy issue. They provide the committee with a very high-level scientific foundation.

The committee has published numerous reports on various subjects concerning nuclear power, but also biomass, hydrogen, etc. To do this, the committee has heard from a very large number of experts from industry, organizations, public agencies, elected representatives (MPs), other academies, etc. The committee thus has an excellent understanding of the scientific and technical issues involved in the energy transition, and does not hesitate to carefully study the reports of other energy transition think tanks such as: the CRE, ADEME or RTE.

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The Académie des Sciences is not opposed to renewable energies. In fact, the Académie des Sciences, through its Comité de Prospective en Energie (CPE), has always defended a balanced electricity mix between nuclear, hydro, solar and wind power (just read its views on this issue).

In its opinion on the Programmation pluriannuelle de l'énergie, the French Academy of Sciences, through its Comité de Prospective en Energie (CPE), alerted the authorities to the possibility of too great a level of electricity overproduction (with problematic consequences) and questioned the relevance of adding 200 TWh of non-controllable energies in a context of falling electricity consumption (RTE has confirmed that electricity consumption in the first half of 2025 is no higher than in the first half of 2024). Recently, RTE lowered its high electricity consumption target by 60 TWh, in its updated scenarios for 2035. The high-voltage line operator acknowledges the lag in electricity demand and the electrification of uses, at a time when the government is putting the country's energy programming back on the table.

The PPE3 proposed the massive installation of new wind and solar generation capacity, precisely to meet demand that would rise sharply between 2025 and 2035. The text of the PPE3 was based on an anticipated increase in electricity consumption. However, it has to be said that electricity consumption has been falling since 2017 and will not increase between 2024 and 2025. This is unfortunate, but the electrification of uses (transport, heating, industry) is not confirmed.

In addition, the International Energy Agency (IEA) has just published its World Energy Outlook 2025. In it, we see that the IEA forecasts a 35% increase in nuclear production by 2035, and by 2050 this rise could reach 80% (almost double) following the commitment of more than 40 countries to develop the use of nuclear power. More than 70 GW of nuclear capacity is under construction worldwide, representing one of the highest levels in the last 3 decades.

The opinion of the French Academy of Sciences, in defending an electricity mix, is not isolated.

No. In fact, the participation of Academicians in scientific committees or external bodies, including within companies (public or private), is part of expert activities that cannot be assimilated to situations of conflict of interest. On the contrary, the outside activities and interests of Academicians contribute to enriching academic work by bringing a diversity of experience and skills, without compromising their scientific integrity.

This independence is ensured by a rigorous framework of transparency and integrity based in particular on: declaration of Academicians' interests and activities; publication of the list of experts participating in the work; peer validation procedures; compliance with a code of ethics and good practice for any contribution to the review of Comptes Rendus.

The opinion on the PPE3 of the Comité de prospective en énergie (CPE), published on behalf of the Académie des sciences, falls within the legal framework of public consultation, open to any organization. This consultation took place within a very short timeframe (between November 4 and December 16, 2024), incompatible with the setting up of a series of specific hearings.

It has, however, been drawn up in accordance with its usual internal procedures for collective expertise, with the Académie des Sciences reaffirming that You don't need to be a specialist in renewable energies to have an opinion on the question of the level of electricity overproduction (excess production in relation to consumption) and the level of intermittent sources, with both levels having an impact on both the economy (the electricity market) and technology (on nuclear modulation, for example) particularly in a context of a lack of large-scale storage capacity.

Many recognized energy players are asking these same questions in the same terms (see in particular the opinions of the High Commissioner for Atomic Energy).

The Académie des Sciences' reports are submitted to the commissioning authorities or, in the case of self-referral, to the competent authorities. Except in exceptional cases, the reports are made public.

In accordance with its internal rules of transparency, the Académie makes available the list of experts, their professional background and any relevant links with the parties concerned by the expertise.

Report preparatory documents are not intended for publication, as they may in particular contain personal data, unconsolidated elements or contributions from scientists who have not given their consent to public dissemination.

Unauthorized dissemination of such documents may constitute a violation of the legal framework. Should this be the case, the Academy reserves the right to refer the matter to the CNIL or the relevant authorities.

Created in 1835 by physicist François Arago, then Secrétaire perpétuel, the Comptes rendus de l'Académie des sciences journal enables researchers from all institutions and countries to make their work known to the international scientific community.

It is divided into seven series covering the range of research fields in the exact and applied sciences: Mathematics, Mechanics, Chemistry, Biologies, Geoscience - Planetary Sciences, Physics and Palevol (evolutionary paleontology). Each title is steered by one or more editors-in-chief, assisted by an editorial board.

Submitted articles are all appraised by scientists with recognized competence in the relevant field. They are complemented by Vie des sciences, an open research notebook aimed at all science enthusiasts, including those outside the academic community.

On December 3, 2025, in a context where the dissemination of knowledge is undermined by an unbalanced economic model, the Académie des sciences and CNRS, Europe's leading research player, signed a co-publishing agreement to support a diamond open access scientific publishing model, free of charge for authors and readers alike.