French wind plans slammed as 'missed opportunity'

France’s ecological transition ministry dismayed the wind industry with its latest ten-year energy plan.

In offshore wind, the government plans to reach 2.4GW by 2023, and a maximum of 4.7-5.2GW by 2028.

Onshore it hopes to gradually expand the tendering volume to 2GW per year, with regular 1GW auctions in the second and fourth quarter of each year starting in late 2020 and a target of 34.1-35.6GW by 2028

The wind sector was satisfied with the proposed onshore wind target but sharply criticised the offshore element.

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“These minimal objectives will deprive our country of an industrial, economic, energy and environmental opportunity that we are unlikely to encounter for a long time,” said Olivier Perot, president of French wind federation FEE.

Floating offshore wind outlet Eolfi stressed the government should recognise the technology’s much higher potential in France and increase targets.

“Floating wind is one of the best assets for our energy transition,” Eolfi said in a release.

Eolfi and other floating wind players late last year had lobbied for up to 5GW of floating wind to be built in France by 2030, a much higher volume than the maximum 1.25GW suggested to be tendered off by 2024 in the government draft.