The graph illustrates the changing contributions of various sources of electricity production in France. Overall, between 1980 and 2010, nuclear energy consistently accounted for the largest proportion of electricity generation, while the contribution of renewable energy remained relatively low throughout the period.
In 1980, the amount of electricity generated by thermal energy was higher than that of nuclear energy. However, just one year later, nuclear energy experienced significant growth and surpassed thermal energy as the primary source of electricity. Nuclear energy output peaked in 2005 at approximately 425 terawatt-hours. By contrast, thermal energy production declined to just 50 terawatt-hours in 1985 and remained unchanged for the rest of the period.
From 1980 to 2010, hydroelectric power generation remained relatively stable, fluctuating between approximately 50 and 80 terawatt-hours. Meanwhile, the output from renewable energy sources was negligible throughout most of the period but showed a slight increase in the final seven years.