France is on track to have just three gigawatts of installed offshore wind capacity by 2032 due to licensing complexities, construction costs, legal challenges and local opposition, a report by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis said.
The report recommended that France streamline the licensing process, shorten the timeframe for legal challenges, reform market regulation, and develop a nuclear phase-down plan to facilitate more rapid development.
France has stated a goal of developing 18 GW of offshore wind supply by 2035, which would put it at just a sixth of that target by 2032 if current delays continue, and also lagging controversial European Union ambitions for renewable energy.
"While neighbouring countries have benefited from stable policy frameworks and incentives that attract private investment, France has struggled to provide the same level of certainty for investors," the report said.
France has the second-largest offshore wind power capacity potential in Europe, but delays and high financing costs see it lagging countries with far less potential such as Germany and the Netherlands, the report said.
Capital expenditure on offshore wind farms in France is typically three million to five million euros ($3.3-$5.5 million) per megawatt, but countries with established supply chains like Britain and Denmark often spend in the lower part of this range.
The first offshore wind tenders awarded in France in 2011 took a decade or more to complete, and the 2.4 GW of capacity awarded in tenders between 2019 and 2022 is expected to take just as long as projects are still at the feasibility study stage.
(Reporting by Forrest Crellin Editing by Mark Potter)
