The French National Assembly has rejected a proposal to implement a moratorium on utility-scale solar and wind projects.
With a total of 377 votes against and 142 in favour, the proposed amendment to impose a moratorium will not go forward after nearly a week of uncertainty.
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The proposed energy and climate programming law, also known as PPL Grémillet, moved forward last week (19 June) following a proposal from the right-wing National Rally, and a vote of 65 to 62. The bill was a direct response to another amendment brought forward by the French Assembly to increase the share of renewable power in the French energy mix to 30% by 2030, according to French solar trade body Enerplan, which was adopted.
French renewables trade association France renouvelables wrote on LinkedIn: “This text, rendered deeply contradictory and dangerous, would have permanently compromised our country’s energy future, locking it, due to a moratorium on renewable electrical energy, into its dependence on imported fossil fuels, while the geopolitical situation is extremely uncertain.
“This rejection, which came after a week of debates in a particularly sparsely attended chamber, constitutes a form of return to reason on energy issues, a reason that we hope will guide and inform future debates.”
The trade association also published a joint statement (in French) with other national trade associations – Enerplan and The Renewable Energy Union (Syndicat des énergies renouvelables in French) – calling French senators to pass a version of the bill that was previously adopted and to it with “wisdom, balance and reason”.
“The rejection of the proposed energy planning law has brought to light, through media scrutiny, the widespread support for solar and wind energy in our country,” said the statement.
“At this time of clarification, it is now essential that the government quickly publish the decree establishing the Multiannual Energy Program (PPE), the only tool capable of restoring visibility and confidence to the sectors, securing investments, and guaranteeing our energy sovereignty over the long term.”
The programme referred to by the trade associations is one that was released earlier this year, which also saw a revision from the French government of its solar PV target by 2035. In the next decade, the country aims to install 90GW of solar PV, with an annual installation of 5.5GW between 2025 and 2027, up from the 3GW per year in the previous PPE.
Tenders will remain a contributing factor to reach these targets with several tenders for both ground-mounted and rooftop PV between 2025 and 2035. Two auctions will be held for ground-mounted with 1GW of capacity sought each time, while rooftop solar tenders will see their capacity reduced from 400MW to 300MW. This move reflects the results of the last three previous rooftop auctions held in 2024 and 2025, which awarded less than 260MW each time.
