France’s long-gestating offshore wind sector should soon begin to take shape, boosted by a growing project pipeline and emerging supply chain, according to analyst group BMI Research in its latest sector report.

The country’s flagship offshore wind projects – the 498MW Fecamp, 498MW Saint Brieuc, 450MW Courselles-Sur-Mer and 450MW Saint-Nazaire, awarded in tender rounds in 2012 and 2014 – have now been cleared for development by local prefectures, with pending appeals by opposition groups unlikely to derail or further delay progress in the sector.