The French government is planning to almost double the level of offshore wind that will be tendered in the next decade.
Prime Minister Edouard Philippe told Parliament that Paris will now seek 1GW annually of fixed or floating wind over the next 10 years, totalling 10GW.
This is up from the 5.5GW in the same period mapped in the country’s draft energy roadmap that was published late last year.
“Today, the Dunkirk project shows that the cost (of offshore wind) decreases even more rapidly when projects are well planned,” Philippe said.
He added that increasing the amount of tendered out offshore wind would be good for the electricity price, France’s industry and the planet.
Market players had been asking for such a boost ever since the roadmap.
“We are very satisfied with the government’s decision which shows how mature that technology is and that it can take centre stage in our future energy mix,” said industry association SER President Jean-Louis Bal.
The energy roadmap until 2028 is currently under discussion and expected to be enshrined in law later this year.