The EU approves France's support for offshore wind power

Brussels considered that this mechanism, planned in the next tender for offshore wind power known as "AO10", did not contravene the rules of competition in the European Union and that it "was necessary, appropriate and proportionate to accelerate the transition to a carbon-neutral economy".

French state aid will take the form of a variable premium, which guarantees electricity producers a stable reference selling price regardless of the market price.

The government will have to compensate them when electricity prices are too low. Conversely, beneficiaries will have to pay money back to the government when the market price is higher than the reference price.

The sum of 63 billion euros over 25 years mentioned by the Commission corresponds to the "worst-case scenario" with a very low average electricity price of 47,5 euros per MW/H, the Ministry of Energy told AFP.

Assumptions of higher average prices, requiring less government compensation to businesses, would reduce the total cost to public finances by between 5 and 10 billion euros, the same source specifies. The ministry also emphasizes the significant economic and fiscal benefits of the program, beyond the public expenditure.

The French state plans to support the construction and operation of eleven offshore wind farms located in the North Sea, the Atlantic and the Mediterranean.

These installations should represent a total capacity of up to 11,1 gigawatts (GW) and produce up to 47,8 TWh of renewable electricity per year, or about 10,6% of annual electricity consumption in France, the Commission said on Monday.

This call for tenders is expected to be launched in early 2027, according to the government which announced it on April 2nd as part of France's energy roadmap (PPE3).

The Energy Regulatory Commission (CRE) had published its opinion on the specifications of this call for tenders at the end of May.

"Today's decision paves the way for the French offshore wind support scheme. France will continue its efforts towards a fully decarbonized energy system, and the Commission will continue to help Member States achieve our common climate goals," reacted Teresa Ribera, the European Commission's Vice-President for the Ecological Transition.

By 2050, France has set itself the objective of reaching 45 gigawatts of installed capacity, compared to 2 GW currently.

The country wants to continue developing the sector, which stalled in 2025.