France has taken a further step in adapting its renewable energy tenders to the European industrial policy framework with the publication of the specifications for the 13th round of the PPE2 onshore wind tender.

The Energy Regulatory Commission (CRE) published the tender specifications on 7 October, together with its opinion on the draft rules, which received a favourable assessment from the regulator.

One of the main changes is the introduction of an eligibility criterion linked to resilience, in application of the European Union’s Net-Zero Industry Act (NZIA).

NZIA requirements begin to shape onshore wind tenders

CRE welcomed the introduction of the new criterion, although it warned that developers still have limited visibility over the availability of wind turbines capable of meeting the requirements.

The regulator also noted that this could have an upward effect on bid prices, as the new European framework brings non-price criteria into renewable energy support mechanisms.

The change represents a concrete application of the NZIA in a national renewable energy tender and adds a new factor to the competition between wind projects. In addition to traditional economic and technical parameters, bidders will now have to comply with requirements linked to supply-chain resilience.

New rules to prevent overlapping support schemes

The new specifications also clarify that the same installation cannot benefit from several support contracts at the same time.

This provision is particularly relevant for repowering projects, as it prevents a refurbished wind farm that is still covered by an existing support contract from retaining that support while also benefiting from a new contract awarded under this tender.

CRE also supported the introduction of an additional condition for projects whose administrative notification is more than four months old, requiring a positive act from the prefect in order to comply with administrative case law.

CRE again calls for fewer barriers to repowering

In its opinion, the regulator reiterated previous recommendations concerning the renewal of existing wind farms.

CRE considers it necessary to limit certain constraints affecting repowering projects in order to facilitate their renewal as efficiently as possible.

Repowering has become increasingly relevant to the expansion of French onshore wind, as it allows older equipment to be replaced with more efficient turbines while making use of existing sites and infrastructure.

The new round follows an award of more than 800 MW

The 13th round forms part of France’s PPE2 onshore wind support scheme, which is designed to support the construction and operation of onshore wind projects in mainland France.

In the 11th round, CRE proposed selecting 39 projects with a combined capacity of 808.03 MW from 144 applications.

With the new round, France is moving forward with the integration of industrial and resilience criteria promoted by the European Union into its renewable energy support mechanisms, while the regulator warns that implementation will need to take into account both the actual availability of compliant equipment and the potential impact on bid prices.