France will double its offshore wind tender schedule to 1GW annually after bids in the latest round confirmed steep cost reductions in the sector, said Prime Minister Edouard Philippe.

The 600MW Dunkirk competitive round currently nearing its conclusion convinced the government that the industry could deliver cheap, well-planned projects after missteps in the country’s initial batch of offshore wind developments.

“We will be able to increase the pace of future calls for tenders to one gigawatt per year,” said Philippe.

The country’s current ambition set out in a draft version of its national power plan, the PPE, envisages tenders for about 5GW out to 2028, or about 500MW annually, a level widely criticised by the French industry as too conservative.

Recharge reported in April how the country’s top renewable energy official said tender plans could be increased if the sector could prove cost reductions.

Laurent Michel, director general of the energy and climate change unit at the Ministry for the Ecological and Inclusive Transition, was speaking at the FOWT 2019 floating wind power event in Montpellier.

The current tender schedule includes a role for both fixed and floating wind tenders, but Philippe gave no further details in his comments on Wednesday.

The entries for the Dunkirk tender are still being studied by officials pending an announcement, reported Reuters.

Philippe said the offshore wind ambition forms part of “a credible way to reduce the share of nuclear power to 50% by 2035, with the massive development of renewable and particularly wind power”.

France currently relies on nuclear for about 75% of its power needs.

Wind

France to double offshore wind tenders: Prime Minister