France's Onshore Wind Tender Clears at a Three-Year Low

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The numbers

The government called 800 MW. Developers submitted 144 projects totalling 2,378 MW, the highest volume of bids the tender has received since it launched in 2021 and roughly three times the volume sought. The CRE proposes to retain 39 projects for 808 MW, 101 percent of the target.

The volume-weighted average award price for retained projects came in at 77.08 EUR/MWh, down 9.5 EUR/MWh, 11 percent, from the previous period in July 2025 (86.62 EUR/MWh). It breaks a three-year run of awards in the 84 to 88 EUR/MWh range that had held since May 2023, falling back near the levels last recorded in the tender's second and third periods, in 2022 and early 2023.

Repowering is doing the heavy lifting

The CRE attributes most of the price move to a surge in repowering bids, projects that replace an existing wind farm rather than develop a new site. Repowering made up 27 percent of submitted capacity this round, against a 13 percent average since 2021. It captured 66 percent of the capacity the CRE proposes to award, 535 MW out of 808 MW.

The price gap explains the shift. Submitted repowering bids averaged 76.84 EUR/MWh against 85.26 EUR/MWh for new-build projects, a spread the CRE says has not been this wide before. Repowering sites benefit from stronger wind resource, 6.9 m/s average at 100 metres versus 6.5 m/s for the round overall, even with smaller turbines. Developers of these projects also typically hold fully amortised capex on the assets being replaced.

Net capacity added to the French onshore fleet from this round works out to roughly 472 MW once the 337 MW of retired capacity being replaced is accounted for, according to the CRE's estimate.

What it means for the pipeline

Two structural points from the CRE's report matter beyond this single round. First, capacity-market revenue is now deducted from the tariff formula for winning projects, a change introduced this period that the CRE estimates is worth 2 to 3 EUR/MWh for onshore wind. That means the headline award price already nets out some capacity income. Second, the CRE recommends against a reserved volume or bonus for repowering going forward. It argues the segment is already competitive enough on economics alone and instead wants planning authorities to ease constraints on turbine height and permitting for renewals.

There is also a public-finance detail worth noting. Because the support mechanism is a two-way contract, the CRE's own modelling shows that under a median 2030 power-price scenario (70 EUR/MWh in 2024 prices), this cohort of projects would not represent a net cost to the state at all, since developers pay back the difference when market prices exceed the award level.

For asset owners weighing a repowering decision, the reference point has moved. A tender award near 77 EUR/MWh is no longer a given. The CRE's own analysis shows the split between repowering and new-build economics is now wide enough to shape whether the auction or a negotiated PPA route makes more sense for a given site.

Synertics prices both paths against current market data for the specific asset in question. To compare your project's economics, try the PPA Tool at https://synertics.io/signup/ or reach out at info@synertics.io.