Overview of the national policy framework for energy communities

The definitions of Renewable Energy Communities (RECs) and Citizen Energy Communities (CECs) were introduced in French law by the Climate and Energy Law of 2019 and the Ordinance of 2021 which transposed the EU provisions on RECs and CECs (an identical copy of the elements of the EU Directives on the subject). The definitions, rights and obligations, enabling frameworks as well as support schemes were finalised and specified by the 2023 law related to the acceleration of the production of renewable energies and the 2023 implementing decree on energy communities. The main provisions governing RECs and CECs are now codified in Articles L291-1 to L291-4 and Article R291-1 to R293-1 of the Energy Code.

France's policy intervention in favour of local and citizen initiatives started before the discussion and implementation of the Clean Energy Package, around community and citizen energy projects, collective self-consumption and crowdfunding in participative renewable energy projects. Therefore, the current policy framework combines this pre-existing approach of shared governance and citizen projects, with the energy communities concept introduced by EU Directives, resulting in a somehow complex framework.

The national network of local and citizen energy projects is small but rapidly growing.

Last updated: May 2025