French Wind Market on Growth Track: PNE and RWE Secure Awards in Tenth Tender Round

Münster (Germany) – France is mainly known for its use of nuclear energy in the energy sector, but the energy transition is running at full speed behind the scenes. In the latest tender round for onshore wind projects, projects totaling nearly 1,000 MW were awarded. German companies such as PNE and RWE are also benefiting.

In the tenth onshore wind energy tender by the French energy regulatory authority CRE, 42 projects with a total capacity of 952.8 MW were awarded out of more than 90 submitted bids. The average award price in this tender round was €86.6 per megawatt-hour. Among the winners were PNE, with awards for 20.8 MW of wind capacity, and RWE, with 21.6 MW. Both companies are thus strengthening their market position in one of the largest European wind markets.

PNE Wins Awards for Two New Wind Farms

The Cuxhaven-based PNE Group was successful in the tenth French onshore wind energy tender. The wind farm "Romescamps" in the Hauts-de-France region with 10.8 MW and "Chéry" in the Centre-Val de Loire region with 10 MW received the awards. The projects are scheduled to be officially commissioned at the end of 2027 and the beginning of 2029, respectively.

According to PNE, both projects were adapted to new regulations and turbine generations through modification permits, allowing expected electricity production to increase significantly. “This means we are continuing our success in the French market. It is particularly pleasing that, thanks to the efforts of the PNE France team, we were able to improve the economic efficiency of the wind farms while the development process was still ongoing,” commented Roland Stanze, COO of PNE AG.

For more than 30 years, the PNE Group has been driving the expansion of wind and solar projects. In addition to project development and operation, the company is increasingly focusing on battery storage and Power-to-X solutions for sector coupling.

RWE Strengthens Presence in France with Two New Wind Projects

RWE also succeeded in the latest CRE tender round for onshore wind energy projects. The Essen-based energy company received awards for two projects totaling 21.6 MW: the Balinot project in the Oise department and the Langonnet project in Brittany. Both consist of three turbines each with a total capacity of 10.8 MW.

“The consistency of our achievements, tender after tender, reflects the strength of our long-term strategy,” emphasized Katja Wünschel, CEO of RWE Renewables Europe & Australia. With the new projects, RWE’s total capacity from the 2025 CRE tenders rises to 172.6 MW of onshore wind energy. According to the company, it now has a development portfolio in France of around 1.6 GW of wind energy and 1 GWp of solar capacity.

Since entering the market in 2020, RWE has already commissioned 275 MW and established itself as a key player in France’s energy transition.

France’s Wind Market: Records and Ambitious Expansion Targets

With around 23,500 MW (23.5 GW) of installed onshore wind capacity, France is one of the largest wind energy markets in Europe. According to the French government’s plans, capacity is expected to rise to 33–35 GW by 2030. Some market observers consider a doubling of installed capacity by the mid-2030s to be realistic.

In addition to the onshore sector, offshore wind energy is also gaining momentum. Three wind farms with around 1,500 MW are already online, and further projects such as “Eoliennes en Mer des îles d’Yeu et de Noirmoutier” (EMYM) are already feeding electricity into the grid.

On January 28, 2025, onshore wind power production in France reached a historic daily record of more than 400 million kilowatt-hours. Offshore, a new all-time high of 40.7 million kilowatt-hours was achieved on October 23, 2025.

Source: IWR Online, 13 Nov 2025