French Regulator Proposes 10 GW Offshore Wind Auction Before 2027

June 15, 2023, by Adnan Durakovic

France’s Energy Regulatory Commission (CRE) said the country should launch a 10 GW offshore wind auction across several sites before 2027 in response to the Ministry of Energy Transition’s consultation on accelerating the development of offshore wind power.

Source: Parc éolien en mer du St-Nazaire

CRE has also proposed a switch from a competitive dialogue procedure to that of a standardized call for tenders allowing an acceleration of the award process while ensuring broader consultation of offshore wind power players.

France should also limit the ability of any candidate to be designated a winner of too many lots or equivalent installed power, CRE has suggested.

The government should also aim to award the rights in fully-permitted areas to streamline the development timeline, and allow the developers in the short and medium term to sell up to 20 per cent of the project’s output outside the government support system, according to CRE.

France has so far completed eight offshore wind auctions, with consortia led by the state-owned EDF winning five out of the eight auctions, including the latest one for a 1 GW project offshore Normandy.

Last year, France’s President Emmanuel Macron announced that the country plans to have around 40 GW of operating offshore wind capacity, corresponding to around 50 wind farms, by 2050.