The French government has confirmed it will increase its offshore wind tender capacity this decade to around 8GW, up from a previous 5GW goal.
Emmanuel Macron’s (pictured) administration released the beefed-up goal that targets both fixed and floating projects in a final energy roadmap or Programmation pluriannuelle de l’énergie (PPE) published on Thursday.
The blueprint, now confirmed after a public consultation that started in January, maps three up to 1GW calls for fixed projects.
The tenders will start this year for a site in the eastern Channel, another between 2021-22 for a south Atlantic area most likely the Oleron zone and another for an as-yet unidentified location in 2023.
Three floating rounds for 250MW apiece will run in parallel in 2021 and 2022.
From 2024-28, 1GW of offshore wind capacity will be put up for grabs, either fixed or floating.
The capacity will be added at various dates in this decade and after 2030, adding to the 3GW of Round 1 and 2 projects, four 24MW pilot floaters and 600MW Dunkirk wind farm all due online in the coming years.
The target is to have up to 6.2GW of offshore wind capacity in operation by 2028.
Paris has also mapped an expansion of onshore wind, potentially up to 35GW, and solar up to 44GW as part of plans to increase installed capacity of renewables to up to 113GW by 2028.
Industry group SER welcomed the clarity that the plan gives to developers but warned that the timetables for the tenders must stay on track despite the threat of COVID-19.
“Any delay would further weaken companies in the sector, developers and industrialists, in particular mid-caps and SMEs, and would distance us from the objectives that France has set for itself to achieve 33% renewable energy in its energy mix in 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2050,” said the association.
“To keep to this schedule, when restarting, it will be necessary to speed up the administrative procedures allowing the commissioning of projects already in development and the planning of tenders in order to compensate for the delays due to the crisis.”