Regulatory Other

On 2 April 2026, Ministers Maud Bregeon (Energy) and Roland Lescure (Economy) officially launched the combined AO9/AO10 offshore wind tender during a visit to Vendée, under the PPE3 renewable-energy programming. The tender — the largest single offshore wind procurement ever announced in France — covers approximately 10 GW split equally between 5 GW fixed-bottom and 5 GW floating wind across seven coastal zones: Fécamp-Grand-Large, Bretagne-Nord-Ouest, Bretagne-Sud, Oléron, Narbonnaise Sud Hérault, Golfe du Lion Centre, and Golfe de Fos. Fécamp Grand Large 2 (AO10 Centre Manche Est-2) is one of the two fixed-bottom Fécamp lots, each at approximately 2 GW. The merger of AO9 and AO10 into a single procedure was confirmed at this launch, accelerating procurement to allow winner designation by end 2026 or early 2027. The tariff objective is to remain on average below €100/MWh across the entire lot. For the first time, the cahier des charges includes industrial resilience criteria drawn from the European Net Zero Industry Act (NZIA) to maximise industrial returns within Europe. Bregeon estimated the cumulative economic benefits of the tender package at approximately €37 billion.