EU Approves €11 Billion French Program to Aid Offshore Wind Energy
The European Commission approved a €11 billion (US$12.7 billion) French program designed to support offshore wind energy and accelerate the transition to clean energy. While the EU has strict rules for government aid programs, the review found that this program will contribute to the transition towards a net-zero economy and reach the renewable energy target set at the EU level for 2030.
The program will support the construction and operation of three floating offshore wind farms. One will be in the sea off the coast of Southern Brittany, and two others in the Mediterranean Sea. Each wind farm is expected to have a capacity of around 500 MW and to generate around 2.2 TWh, equivalent to the annual consumption of 450,000 French households.
The aid will be granted as part of a bidding process, which will be organized to select one beneficiary per offshore zone. According to the European Commission, in the approval of the aid package, resilience has been included as a tender prequalification and award criterion in order to diversify wind turbine and main specific components supply chains to reduce dependency on imports from China.
Under this scheme, the aid will take the form of a monthly variable premium under a two-way contract for difference (CfD), which will be calculated by comparing a reference price, determined in the tender offer of the beneficiary to the market price for electricity. When the market price is below the reference price, the beneficiaries will be entitled to receive payments equal to the difference between the two prices. When the market price is above the reference price, the beneficiary will have to pay the difference between the two prices to the French authorities.
The Commission found that the French scheme meets its conditions as it provides direct price support through a two-way CfD, awarded via a competitive bidding process. It includes safeguards to ensure markets function properly and avoid compensating producers when market prices are negative.
The Commission concluded that the French scheme is necessary, appropriate, and proportionate to accelerate the transition towards a net-zero economy and facilitate the development of certain economic activities.