France has set its sights on reaching 18 GW of installed offshore wind energy by 2035, a goal that, according to Matteo Bernard, Head of Offshore Wind Energy at France renouvelables, faces significant technical, political, and industrial barriers.

“Depending on where we will be in 2035, we may need to lower our targets to be more realistic, but we must maintain our ambition to maintain a positive investment climate,” the executive states. Currently, the country has 1.5 GW installed, with three bottom-fixed projects in operation.

The NZIA, which seeks to strengthen European industrial resilience, puts additional pressure on developers, who will have to meet resilience criteria without guarantees about tariff ceiling adjustments. “Will politicians accept a higher price cap? It’s not certain, and that creates a lot of uncertainty,” Matteo Bernard warns in an interview with Strategic Energy Europe.

Consolidating European industry before it’s too late

One of the biggest structural threats is the lack of consolidation in the European turbine industry. Although France has a robust ecosystem of small suppliers (tiers 2 to 5), the challenge lies with top-tier companies and turbine manufacturers in Europe.

“Demand far exceeds the supply of European turbines. This is a real risk for the entire offshore wind industry,” Matteo Bernard says. Therefore, he urges strengthening industrial collaboration: “We need consolidation among manufacturers to compete with China.”

France advocates for a strong implementation of the NZIA, but the executive insists that it must be done intelligently: “Yes, we must protect European manufacturers, but they must also strive to be more competitive. Otherwise, we will have very high prices.”

Matteo Bernard emphasizes that, although the NZIA could partly benefit from technologies such as photovoltaics, its application to offshore wind is still unclear. “It will depend on how the criteria are defined and the balance between resilience and competitiveness,” he concludes.

The Long Road to the First Megawatt

France has taken a decade to install its first 500 MW of offshore wind. This, Matteo Bernard explains, is due to the design of the auctions and the slowness of certain stages managed by the administration: “The first project was awarded in 2012, but the producer didn’t have a permit to build immediately,” he points out.

The process included additional studies, environmental assessments, and legal appeals that delayed obtaining the permit until 2018. Added to this were four more years to manufacture and install the components: “It was the first time we did this in France, even for EDF,” the specialist points out.

Compared to countries like Denmark or the United Kingdom, where construction permits are automatic upon award, “the design of our tenders makes us slower,” he warns.

Regarding expectations for the installation times of upcoming projects, the representative of the French association points out that “it is not certain that they will accelerate” since increasingly larger projects are being built, and this causes delays in the processes.

Infrastructure, coordination, and technology: the keys to acceleration

Offshore wind development, especially floating wind power, requires better planning by ports, networks, and operators. Matteo Bernard emphasizes that they must act early: “Ports need to invest before producers to be ready. The same applies to TSOs like RTE,” he says.

He recalls the German case of a wind farm installed but not connected to the grid due to a lack of coordination, something France wants to avoid.

“At the national level, before thinking about European collaboration, which is ideal in theory but very difficult to achieve in practice, I would say the first thing is to work together: producers, ports, RTE, and public services, to achieve the most organized planning possible,” he asserts.

Furthermore, floating technologies face multiple challenges. Currently, there are only three pilot projects, each with three different types of floaters. “We face many technical challenges, such as dynamic cables or floating substations,” Matteo Bernard acknowledges.

However, he emphasizes that this technology allows parks to be installed further from the coast, which “reduces the impact on fishing or visibility from land, facilitating social acceptance.”

Competitiveness, Auctions, and International Role

According to a report by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA), the first three French offshore wind projects are among the most expensive in Europe, in the high range of €3 to €5 million MW per year, partly due to commitments to build local factories. However, new projects such as A03 (Dunkirk), which will be built around 2029, have more competitive prices: “A03 was awarded at €44/MWh; it will be one of the most competitive in Europe,” says Matteo Bernard.

Future AO10 tenders will be key. Matteo Bernard emphasizes the importance of improving conditions: “We saw a loss of attractiveness in the tenders due to poorly defined rules. We need more diversification and clarity,” he explains.

The risk of market concentration among a few national players is also a concern. “We must attract new entrants, not just the large French players,” he insists.

In this context, the role of international developers is essential. France already has interest from Danish, Italian, and American companies, many of them through investment funds. “The market has been attractive, but it only takes a small mistake for it to cease to be so. We must maintain that appeal,” warns Matteo Bernard.