France plans to add another offshore wind project tendering opportunity next to the zone already being auctioned off in the ongoing 1GW Normandy (‘Bar Fleur’) bottom-fixed round, and has earmarked €25bn ($29.6bn) in investments related to upcoming renewables auctions on land, Prime Minister Jean Castex announced.

The additional offshore wind project is slated to have a capacity of around 1.5GW, according to industry sources who said it is likely to be the subject of a separate tender to the Normandy round that is already underway with the likes of EDF, RWE, Shell, Total, Ocean Winds and Iberdrola in the frame.

The government has already referred the new area to the public commission for national debate (CNDP) in order to decide if a public debate is required for the extension project. The wind industry is lobbying for a wider planning approach rather than proceeding wind farm by wind farm.

“These latest announcements once again illustrate France's commitment to the development of wind power at sea and on land,” said Nicolas Wolff, president of the French wind power association (FEE).

“This approach is all the more positive given the need to decarbonise and replace fossil fuels in our energy mix to support our independence, our growth and our fight against climate change.”

France as part of its multi-year energy plan (PPE) aims to build 6.2GW of offshore wind capacity by 2028.

Castex during a visit to Saint Nazaire in January had already stressed the need to undertake long-term planning of offshore wind projects, and a new €50m environmental research programme also announced by the prime minister will facilitate that, the FEE added.

The Prime minister over the weekend inaugurated a logistics hub at the port town in the Normandy region, where GE is getting ready to supply 80 of its Haliade-150 turbines for the 480MW Saint Nazaire project that recently has entered the offshore construction phase. The project next year is slated to come online as France’s first commercial offshore wind farm.

Castex also announced that France will invest €25bn in the frame of renewable tenders to come in onshore wind, solar and hydro power (offshore is not part of it). Support under those tenders has already been validated by the European Commission to be in accordance with EU state aide rules.

Wind

France plans new gigawatt-plus offshore wind round amid $30bn renewables spree