French independent power producer (IPP) Neoen has started construction on a 122MW solar PV portfolio in France.
The solar portfolio consists of four PV projects, two of which are agrivoltaic plants and one floating solar (FPV) project.
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The two agriPV projects – Saint-Just Solar Farm (30MW) in the Cher department and La Ferme des Cros Solar Farm (16MW) in the Charente department – will combine sheep farming with the solar PV system.
Both projects are scheduled to be commissioned in the first half of 2028. Construction of the 30MW agriPV project will be carried out by engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contractor Sireos, which will also be responsible for the maintenance of the project, while La Ferme des Cros Solar Farm will be constructed and maintained by EPC contractor Eiffage Énergie Systèmes.
The FPV project will be located in the Marne region, northeastern France, and will have a total capacity of 35MWp, of which 28MWp will be floating solar spread across four reservoirs.
The FPV element of the project will be installed at a former quarry lake that is no longer operational, according to French floating solar specialist Ciel & Terre, which is responsible for the design of the FPV plant, the anchoring system, as well as the anchor installation, the assembly of floats and PV modules.
“At Matignicourt, the environmental constraints directly influenced both the project design and the organisation of the construction site. We have a very short window to carry out the anchoring works, which requires us to carefully anticipate each stage and adapt our resources accordingly. This is also where the value of experience gained through floating solar projects with diverse configurations becomes particularly important,” said Vincent Pinchou, Head of project at Ciel & Terre EMEA.
According to Ciel & Terre, the construction of the FPV project has a tight timeframe with anchoring works underway and to be completed before the end of October 2026. This is due to the sensitive period for certain animal species present on the site, which prevents the installation of percussive anchors used for the project beyond that deadline.
The FPV project is located in the same region as Europe’s largest operational FPV project, Les Îlots Blandin, which has an operational capacity of 74.3MWp and began operations last year.
Finally, the fourth project will be built at the Bretigny-sur-Orge military base, south of Paris and will have an installed capacity of 41MWp. The project was awarded in 2021 under a tender process held by the French Ministry of the Armed Forces.
Construction and maintenance of the PV plant will be carried out by Eiffage Energie Systèmes, with the project expected to begin operations in the first half of 2028. According to Neoen, it will be the largest solar farm in the Île-de-France region.
With the start of construction of these four solar PV projects, as well as a 14MW wind farm, the company has more than 2.5GW of capacity in operation or under construction in France. The French IPP expects to have a further 300MW of renewables to enter construction over the next 12 months. Of that 2.5GW portfolio, 1.8GW is owned by the IPP, while the remaining 700MW is managed for third parties.
