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

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.

3 November 2026
Málaga, Spain
Understanding technology and supplier selection for Europe’s utility-scale PV market in 2027. PV ModuleTech Europe 2026 is a two-day conference that tackles these challenges directly, with an agenda that addresses all aspects of PV module, inverter and battery supplier selection; product availability, technology offerings, supply chain traceability, quality assurance, factory auditing, system reliability, and supplier bankability.
2 February 2027
London, UK
Returning in 2027 for its 14th edition, Solar & Storage Finance Europe will bring together the brightest minds representing funds, banks, developers, utilities, government and industry across Europe and the UK on a programme that is solutions-focused from top to tail. The event is designed to enable leaders at the forefront of solar and storage investment and deployment in Europe to scale, learn and land themselves industry defining partnerships.

Read Next

September 17, 2026
Spain has announced plans to create a capacity market for the national electricity system in order to secure 'security of supply'.
September 17, 2026
Caelux has signed a five-year agreement with GREW Solar to commercialise 4GW of hybrid-tandem solar modules.
September 17, 2026
Zelestra has signed a PPA with German steel manufacturer Salzgitter Flachstahl for a new solar-plus-storage portfolio in Germany.
September 16, 2026
Over 90% of solar industry professionals report a growing project deployment pipeline in 2026, but new projects that are abandoned before completion now account for almost half of all project pipelines.
September 15, 2026
Two community solar platforms in the US have closed over US$370 million of financing to fund 200MW of new projects in New York and Illinois.
Premium
September 15, 2026
Solar project developers ought to move away from a 'throwing spaghetti at the wall' approach, says Glint Solar's Simen Fure Jørgensen.

Upcoming Events

Solar Media Events
October 13, 2026
San Francisco Bay Area, USA
Solar Media Events
November 3, 2026
Málaga, Spain
Solar Media Events
November 24, 2026
Warsaw, Poland
Solar Media Events
February 2, 2027
London, UK