French Offshore Wind Grid Connections[Draft]

France operates a centralised TSO-build model for offshore wind grid connections. RTE, as France’s sole transmission system operator, is responsible for designing, constructing, owning, and operating all offshore grid connections — from the offshore substation to the onshore grid connection point. Wind farm developers are only responsible for the wind farm itself and inter-array cables to the RTE offshore substation.

France allocates offshore wind capacity through a series of competitive tenders managed by CRE. The programme has evolved dramatically since the first round in 2012, with strike prices falling from over €200/MWh to below €50/MWh at Dunkerque (AO3).

France’s offshore wind strike prices have followed the global cost-reduction trend, though early rounds (AO1–AO2) were among the most expensive globally at ~€200/MWh. The AO3 Dunkerque tender (€44/MWh, awarded 2019) marked a step change, with prices broadly stabilising in the €44–66/MWh range for fixed-bottom projects. Floating wind remains more expensive (~€140/MWh for AO6 Bretagne Sud).

France’s offshore wind consenting regime differs depending on whether the project is in territorial waters (0–12 nm) or the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ, 12–200 nm). The APER Law (2023) introduced acceleration measures including the “envelope permit” concept.

Introduced by the APER Law, the envelope permit allows projects to obtain environmental authorisation based on a range of technical parameters (e.g. turbine capacity 12–20 MW, hub height 120–160 m) rather than fixed specifications. This allows developers to select final turbine models later in the process without requiring a new permit.

Appeals against offshore wind permits go directly to the Conseil d’État (France’s highest administrative court), bypassing lower courts — a measure introduced to accelerate legal certainty. Early projects (AO1) faced multi-year legal challenges, with Saint-Nazaire’s permits ultimately upheld after 6+ years of litigation.

RTE’s Schéma Décennal de Développement du Réseau (SDDR) 2025 outlines €100 billion of total grid investment, of which €37 billion is allocated to offshore grid connections through 2040. This represents the largest infrastructure programme in RTE’s history.

France’s maritime spatial planning is organised around four façades maritimes (maritime fronts), each with a Document Stratégique de Façade (DSF) that identifies zones suitable for offshore wind development.

The transition from HVAC to HVDC is driven by increasing distances to shore and larger project capacities. RTE’s first HVDC offshore connections are expected for the AO4–AO8 generation of projects, with ±525 kV HVDC planned for future multi-GW zones.

French offshore wind projects are supported via a Contract for Difference (complément de rémunération) mechanism. The developer receives a guaranteed strike price: when the market price is below the strike price, the state pays the difference; when above, the developer pays back the surplus.

France is a founding member of the NSEC (established 2016). Members: Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, and the European Commission. France participated in the Hamburg Declaration (January 2026) committing to 100 GW of cross-border offshore generation capacity.

France is a founding member of the North Seas Energy Cooperation. At the Hamburg Summit (January 2026), France joined the declaration targeting 100 GW of cross-border offshore generation. France has not yet committed to hybrid offshore wind/interconnector projects under the NSEC framework, but the declaration opens the door to future collaboration, particularly with the UK (Channel) and Spain (Bay of Biscay).

PPE3 (Programmation Pluriannuelle de l’Énergie, 2024–2035) set the offshore wind target at 15 GW by 2035, reduced from the initial 18 GW consultation figure. The reduction reflects supply chain constraints, grid connection lead times, and the AO7 tender failure. The long-term ambition remains 40–45 GW by 2050.

The AO10 consultation (March 2025) proposes allocating 8.4–9.2 GW across multiple zones in a single mega-tender— a fundamental shift from France’s previous approach of tendering individual 0.5–1.5 GW projects. This is designed to provide pipeline visibility for the supply chain and enable economies of scale in grid connection infrastructure.

All operational French offshore wind connections use HVAC 225 kV technology. The next generation of projects (AO4+) will require HVDC connections as capacities increase to 1–2 GW per project and distances to shore grow. RTE is developing its first offshore HVDC connections, with ±525 kV systems planned for the AO10+ generation.

France has no hybrid offshore wind/interconnector projects in its current pipeline, unlike Denmark (Bornholm Energy Island) and Germany (planned DE-DK hybrids). The Hamburg Declaration (January 2026) may catalyse future hybrid concepts, particularly in the Channel (with the UK) and Bay of Biscay (with Spain), but no concrete projects have been announced.

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