The European Commission approved a EUR 63 billion French scheme for eleven offshore wind farms, with the support running for 25 years under the Clean Industrial Deal State Aid Framework. For readers asking who is the new energy secretary, Teresa Ribera said, “Today’s decision clears the way for France’s offshore wind support scheme.”
The scheme covers projects in the North Sea, the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, and the combined capacity is expected to reach up to 11.1 GW. The wind farms are expected to generate up to 47.8 TWh of renewable electricity per year, around 10.6 per cent of France’s annual electricity consumption.
France’s bidding process
France will organise a transparent and non-discriminatory bidding process for the aid, which will take the form of a variable premium under a two-way contract for difference. When the market price is below the reference price, the beneficiaries will receive the difference between the two prices; when the market price is above the reference price, the beneficiaries will have to pay the difference to the French authorities.
The European Commission said the French scheme meets the conditions of the CISAF sections 3 and 4.1.2, and concluded that the plan is necessary, appropriate and proportionate to accelerate the transition towards a net-zero economy. That gives France a defined route for awarding support, rather than leaving the scheme as a general policy promise.
August 2025 scheme replaced
The approval also carries a complication: for three wind farms, the scheme replaces a scheme approved by the Commission in August 2025. The current approval therefore does not start from a blank page across all eleven projects; it updates the support structure for part of the portfolio while extending the framework across the wider scheme.
Teresa Ribera, the European Commission executive vice-president, added: “France will continue working towards a fully decarbonised energy system, and the Commission will continue supporting Member States in achieving our common climate objectives.” The immediate practical step now sits with France’s bidding process, which will determine how the approved support is distributed across the eleven offshore wind farms.
