France is set to launch a single offshore wind tender covering about 10 GW after combining the AO9 and AO10 rounds. The procedure is due to open in the coming months, with results expected by the end of 2026 or in early 2027.
The combined round forms the main part of a broader 12 GW renewable energy tender program announced in a press release issued on 2 April 2026 by the French Ministry of Economy, Finance, and Industrial and Digital Sovereignty. The offshore wind process will cover several sites under one framework and include both fixed-bottom and floating projects.
Under the earlier AO9 plan, France was preparing to award one floating wind farm of 400 MW to 550 MW in South Brittany, two floating projects of 450 MW to 550 MW each in the Mediterranean, and one fixed-bottom project of 1,000 MW to 1,250 MW in the South Atlantic. In 2024, the government pre-qualified 12 companies and consortia for that round.
AO10 was being shaped around about 9 GW of capacity. The plan included two projects of about 2 GW each on the eastern English Channel coast, one floating project of about 1.2 GW or 2 GW on the North Atlantic-Western Channel coast, one floating project of about 1.2 GW on the South Atlantic coast, and one floating project of about 2 GW in the Mediterranean.
With the two rounds now merged, the upcoming tender will allocate about 5 GW to fixed-bottom offshore wind and about 5 GW to floating wind. The projects will be distributed across all French maritime areas.
France said the new auction is intended to support its floating wind ambitions, with a target of nearly 6 GW by 2040. The country is also targeting 45 GW of offshore wind by 2050, equal to 20% of electricity demand, while PPE 3 sets an installed offshore wind target of 15 GW by 2035.
The new procedure will apply additional bid criteria alongside price, including industrial resilience, environmental performance and cybersecurity. The ministry also said the tender terms are designed to limit the use of certain non-European components, with a focus on strategic equipment such as turbines and permanent magnets. The government aims to secure an average award tariff below €100/MWh.
Alongside offshore wind, France also plans to tender about 2 GW for other renewable technologies, including solar PV and onshore wind, taking the total program to around 12 GW.
