France approves 720MW of solar as price falls another 5%

August 7, 2018
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email
France is looking to deploy 3GW through its auction programme. The 300MW Cestas project was constructed outside the programme with a 20-year PPA in place with EDF.

France has approved 103 large-scale solar projects totalling 720MW in the latest phase of its 3GW deployment plans.

The winning bids averaged €58.2/MWh (US$67.5/MWh) a drop of 5% from the previous bidding round. February 2018’s capacity was awarded at a price of €61.6. The larger projects (5-30MW) averaged €52/MWh. ENGIE was among the big winners in the auction.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Try Premium for just $1

  • Full premium access for the first month at only $1
  • Converts to an annual rate after 30 days unless cancelled
  • Cancel anytime during the trial period

Premium Benefits

  • Expert industry analysis and interviews
  • Digital access to PV Tech Power journal
  • Exclusive event discounts

Or get the full Premium subscription right away

Or continue reading this article for free

More than a third of the awarded capacity is in the northern part of the country.

“All French regions can benefit from the large-scale development of solar photovoltaics,” said Nicolas Hulot, France’s minister for ecology and sustainable development. “The energy transition is now taking place everywhere, in all territories. This is made possible in particular by the increase in volumes and the bonus on the environmental relevance of the site set up in this call for tenders,” he added.

The next two auctions will be for 850MW each.

The winning projects can be viewed in full here.

Read Next

November 25, 2025
PowerField has completed construction of seven solar PV projects in the Netherlands with a combined capacity of 170MW.
November 25, 2025
Zelestra has signed a PPA with technology giant Microsoft to sell power generated at a 95.7MW solar PV portfolio.
November 25, 2025
Renewable energy developer Genesis Energy has reached a final investment decision (FID) on a 136MW solar PV project in New Zealand.
November 24, 2025
Hydro Tasmania is seeking expressions of interest for wind and solar projects capable of delivering up to 1,500GWh of renewables annually.
November 24, 2025
India’s Railway Energy Management Company (REMC) has awarded 1GW of contracts to supply the railway network with round-the-clock (RTC) renewable energy.
Premium
November 24, 2025
PV Talk: RES Group's Ksenia Dray discusses how European solar developers are reshaping strategies to maintain project viability in challenging market conditions.

Upcoming Events

Solar Media Events
November 25, 2025
Warsaw, Poland
Solar Media Events
December 2, 2025
Málaga, Spain
Upcoming Webinars
December 4, 2025
2pm GMT / 3pm CET
Solar Media Events
February 3, 2026
London, UK
Solar Media Events
March 24, 2026
Lisbon, Portugal