Heatwave: in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, the real challenge is no longer producing clean power, but switching usages — Lyon Mag
Op-ed published in Lyon Mag during the June 2026 heatwave.
The Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region produces 119.2 TWh a year — 21.8% of France’s electricity output — for a consumption of 63.3 TWh. This electricity is 96.5% carbon-free and the region exports its surplus to Switzerland and Italy. Yet producing clean power is not enough.
The real challenge is usage: transport, heating and industrial processes remain overwhelmingly powered by fossil fuels. As long as these sectors have not switched to low-carbon alternatives, they keep burning oil and gas — however clean the electricity produced.
There is also the question of timing: the environmental quality of electricity varies by the hour. Solar dominates at midday, making daytime consumption cleaner; in the evening, demand peaks often require gas-fired plants. Consuming at the right time is also a form of decarbonisation.
Finally, grids remain the weak link: RTE plans more than €1.5bn of investment in the region by 2030 to support the transition.