These are documents expected by industrialists and local elected officials as well as by fishermen or environmental protection associations. Friday, October 18, the government released maps. crucial for the future of the metropolitan maritime space. They identify both areas where wind farms could be installed as a priority in the coming decades, to contribute to the decarbonization of the country, and areas that could be placed under strong protection to preserve biodiversity.
The publication of these maps is the culmination of a vast public debate organized between November 2023 and early 2024 with the aim of addressing “ in a single reflection the environmental, economic, energy and social aspects”according to the terms of the National Commission of Public Debate in its report. Territorial consultations were subsequently carried out.
The identification of suitable areas for offshore wind energy aims to facilitate the achievement of French renewable energy development objectives. Ahead of the 45 gigawatts (GW) of wind energy planned for 2050, the Government is committed to reaching 18 GW of installed capacity in 2035 (up from 1.5 GW today), and mapping is projected across these two horizons. In total, fourteen areas are identified, three of them in the Mediterranean. “This planning is the first concrete act of the new stage of offshore wind”greets Jules Nyssen, president of the Renewable Energy Union.
Very late compared to its European neighbors, France did not put its first park into service until 2022 in Saint-Nazaire (Loire-Atlantique), more than a decade after the first tenders were launched. After the one in Saint-Brieuc (Côtes-d’Armor) in 2023, the one in Fécamp was inaugurated in May. In early 2025, a new tender for 9.2 GW It is necessary to launch the so-called “AO10”, a strong signal for all economic actors in the sector. “ “This will be the largest tender ever launched in France, we are in the right place compared to what is being done at European level.”Michel Gioria, general delegate of France Renewables, is delighted.
“Most important technological bet”
For this tender, and more broadly for the future of offshore wind, this planning exercise clearly recognizes France’s choice for floating wind energy, to the detriment of installed wind energy. This technology allows the fields to be moved further away from the coast, locating them in deeper areas and, therefore, minimizing the impact on the landscape: all the new areas are located more than 20 kilometers from the coast. On the other hand, it complicates connection work and increases the cost of projects. Above all, floating technology is less mature than installed wind power, with only one pilot site in operation in France.
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