The European Commission has approved, under EU state aid rules, support for an offshore wind project off the coast of Normandy, France.
The project will have a capacity of around 1GW to produce 4.5 terawatt-hours (TWh) of renewable electricity each year for at least 20 years.
The aid will take the form of additional remuneration granted following a competitive call for tenders, based on “transparent, objective and non-discriminatory criteria, and specific to offshore wind power”.
The measure aims to help France achieve its objective of producing, by 2030, the equivalent of 33% of its energy needs from renewable sources and will help achieve the European objective of carbon neutrality by 2050.
The European Commission assessed this measure in the light of EU state aid rules, in particular the 2014 guidelines on state aid for environmental protection and energy (LDEE).
The commission noted that the aid will contribute to the French and European objectives of producing energy from renewable sources, in accordance with the objectives of the Green Deal for Europe and the European Climate Law, while the possible distortions of competition generated by state support will be minimized.
On this basis, the commission concluded that the measure complies with EU state aid rules.