The line graph above reflects the production of electrical power in France during the period from 1980 to 2012.

It is clear that nuclear power has been the largest source of generation. Renewable power had a negligible amount of electrical power over the period shown.

In 1980, thermal energy was 150 terawatt hours, making it the most powerful. Nuclear and hydropower generating facilities generated about 75 terawatt hours each. The renewable power plant was lower than that. What is worth mentioning is that nuclear power exceeded thermal power in 1981 as the main source of electrical power.

Nuclear power has been dramatically increasing, peaking at 435 terawatt hours in 2005. On the contrary, thermal power kept decreasing after 1982. Hydroelectric power remained at a constant level in these 32 years. Unfortunately, renewable power only saw a small rise starting from 2000.