The European Commission has approved a state aid scheme to support the development of three floating offshore wind farms in France. The programme is valued at €11 billion and covers a total capacity of 1.5 GW.
Authorised under the Clean Industrial Deal State Aid Framework (CISAF), the 20-year scheme aims to help France and the European Union meet 2030 renewable energy targets while reducing dependence on imported clean technology components.
Each of the three wind farms—one off southern Brittany and two in the Mediterranean—will have a capacity of around 500 MW and are expected to generate about 2.2 terawatt hours (TWh) of electricity per year, enough to power roughly 450,000 households.
Support will be awarded through competitive tenders, with one winning bidder per zone. Selected projects will receive a two-way contract for difference (CfD), with payments based on the difference between the reference price offered by the bidder and market prices.
The Commission noted that the scheme includes safeguards against overcompensation, such as suspending payments during periods of negative pricing, and complies with CISAF Sections 3 and 4.1.2. France has also included supply chain diversification as both a prequalification and award criterion, with the aim of reducing reliance on key components from China.
The Commission concluded the measure is necessary, appropriate and proportionate to support the transition to a net-zero economy. A non-confidential version of the decision will be published under case number SA.115764 on the Commission’s competition website.
