VIDEOS. Decarbonization underway, but not without tensions

A concern also shared by those involved in the decarbonization of industrial zones, from factories to the trucks that serve them. Among the starting points of this transition, carbon-free electricity represents a major asset. "Today, our electricity is 97% carbon-free," recalls Franck Darthou, Director of Regional Action at EDF in Nouvelle-Aquitaine. But beyond the energy mix, he insists: "There is also the experience of the territories, the management of resources, such as water, which cannot be separated from the debate." EDF is counting on technological progress in the coming years, even if "half of the solutions by 2050 remain to be invented." On the roads, the effort is clearly present, even without a formal obligation. "We are moving forward because we want to, not because we are forced to," says Matthieu Sarrat, CEO of GT Solutions. Electric trucks remain more expensive to run—by 10 to 15%—but their operating costs are more competitive, thanks in part to a tax incentive framework. In Bassens, an industrial town bordering the Garonne estuary, Mayor Alexandre Rubio is calling for collective action. "Industry is our future, but we must reinvent it together," he summarizes. This approach is shared by Michel Le Van Kiem, vice-president of the Bees-ZIP association, which brings together industrialists and port stakeholders. For him, "it's not enough to change energy: we also need to know what to do with the CO₂ we can't eliminate. Capture it? Store it? Transform it?" But Laurent Castaignède warns against "excessive technological optimism." According to him, "an electric car or truck is not automatically carbon-free. The real issue is the content of what circulates, not just how to make it move." "In short, everyone agrees on the urgency. But how to go about it remains under discussion.