The UK is already heavily dependent on France as a source of energy. In terms of renewable energy, Britain is looking to Paris to help power its industries and homes. This dependence is expected to increase as the UK strives to phase out fossil fuels as it transitions to a net zero economy, a target Boris Johnson plans to achieve by 2050.

An important part of achieving this goal was spelled out in Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s 10-point plan for a “green industrial revolution”.

In it, Mr Johnson lays out his plan to decarbonize the economy, and an important aspect of it was a desire to advance nuclear power, as well as offshore wind.

This could be good news for France, which already produces a fifth of the UK’s electricity through eight nuclear power plants owned by its public energy company, EDF.

With plans to expand their influence over UK nuclear power, EDF’s Hinkley Point C in Somerset will provide low-carbon electricity to around six million homes.

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Sizewell C will be an almost identical replica of Hinkley Point C and could prove crucial to Mr Johnson’s net zero plans as it is expected to save nine million tonnes of CO2 per year.

But EDF’s control over the United Kingdom goes even further.

They also control 37 onshore wind farms, including 59 wind turbines at
Dorenell wind farm, EDF’s largest onshore wind farm in Europe.

To this list is also added a major offshore wind development at Neart na Goaithe in Scotland.

And that’s not all, because EDF also owns a 22 turbine wind farm at Garn Fach in Wales.

But in addition to wind and nuclear, EDF also plans to play an important role in British solar.

The company’s first grid-scale solar farm in Sutton Bridge, Lincolnshire, will cover an area of ​​approximately 139 hectares.

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They also have plans for a large solar farm and battery storage project in Longfield, Essex, as they are already building solar panels on the roofs of a number of the largest Tesco stores in England that will supply them with directly from renewable energy.

While these developments look promising for Boris Johnson as he continues to move towards net zero and reduce emissions, and with other key commitments expected to be announced at the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow this week, there are has a catch.

Britain and France have been at loggerheads over fishing rights in a post-Brexit row.

As France claims the UK is violating part of its Brexit deal, the UK has strongly opposed calls to issue more fishing licenses for French boats in Jersey seas.

This outraged Mr Macron, who threatened to sanction Britain if they did not back down.

And one measure they can take that has rocked Westminster is to cut off the energy supply.

Clément Beaune, a close ally of the French president, warned last month that he “would take action at European or national level to put pressure on the UK”.

“We defend our interests. We do it nicely and diplomatically, but when it doesn’t work, we take action. The Channel Islands in the UK depend on us for their energy supply. They think they can live alone and denigrate Europe too. And because it doesn’t work, they overdo it, and aggressively.

And the government has warned that it could have dramatic effects.

Government defense adviser Nicholas Drummond said: “In the short term, if homes and businesses in Britain suffer power outages as a result of French actions, the damage would be immense.

“In the long term, as we move towards net zero goals, the need for green energy will see traditional power generation replaced with more environmentally friendly solutions.”