The summer of 2026 brought significant challenges to the French electricity system, as the country experienced heatwaves, droughts, forest fires, and violent thunderstorms. RTE, the organization responsible for managing the French electricity transmission network, released preliminary reports on September 21, highlighting that electricity consumption rose, mainly due to the increased use of air conditioning. Total consumption between June and August reached 99.1 TWh, up from 95.2 TWh in the previous year. Consumption increased by 4 to 5% in June and July compared to 2025. The consumption curve showed a slight rise in the evenings, as homes retained heat accumulated during the day. However, the highest demand for electricity did not reach the levels seen in January 2026 and remained around 60 GW, similar to the summer of 2019. RTE predicts that even with the growing number of air conditioners, winter will continue to see higher electricity consumption than summer in France by 2035. While the increasing use of electric vehicles has not yet significantly impacted electricity consumption, RTE does not expect a major effect until around 2030. Despite the expansion of fast-charging stations, no significant peaks in electricity use were observed during summer traffic periods. On the production side, many nuclear reactors were either shut down or had their output reduced due to high temperatures and low river flow, which is used for cooling. A peak in unavailability occurred on August 17, when 15 reactors at eight power plants were either offline or operating at reduced capacity, totaling 13.4 GW of lost power, or 21% of the country’s total nuclear capacity. Additionally, an unusual influx of jellyfish into the seawater pumping stations of the Gravelines power plant reduced its capacity by 1.8 GW. Despite these challenges, France remained a net electricity exporter 99.9% of the time during the summer, importing only slightly more than two hours in total. The total amount of electricity exported reached 23.7 TWh, slightly less than in 2024 and 2025. Nuclear power remained the largest source of electricity in France, providing 83.7 TWh between June and August, slightly less than in 2025 but more than in 2024. Nuclear power supplied about 67% of the electricity produced in France this summer. However, hydroelectric production was significantly lower, with only 10.8 TWh generated compared to 12.3 TWh in the previous year, marking the second lowest summer production in 50 years. By the end of August, hydro reserves were at their lowest level since 2015. Solar power production increased, reaching 15.1 TWh between June and August, compared to 12.5 TWh in the previous summer, aided by a particularly sunny July and a 5.9 GW growth in solar capacity. Wind power also saw an increase, reaching 8.9 TWh compared to 8 TWh in 2025, due to additional wind turbines and a slightly better performance rate. Fossil fuel production, mainly from gas, rose to 4.1 TWh compared to 2.6 TWh in 2025, reflecting an increased reliance on gas to meet evening consumption peaks. Electricity spot prices reached an average of 95.2 €/MWh in July and 122.8 €/MWh in August, the second-highest values ever recorded for these months, driven by increased gas prices linked to the conflict in Iran and the blockage of the Strait of Hormuz. Electricity futures prices across Europe have also risen sharply. France maintains a gap of about 40 €/MWh with Germany.