French Wind Power Capacity Grew in H1 but Lags Target
France added 568 megawatts (MW) of wind power in the first half of the year, lagging its objective to add 1.5 gigawatts (GW) annually from 2016, an industry group said on Tuesday.
The increase was, however, 45 MW more than in the same period a year ago.
Growth in installed French wind power capacity in the period was boosted among others by German wind turbine maker Enercon, which installed 210 MW and Denmark's Vestas, which added 198 MW, France Energie Eolienne said in a statement.
It added that even though wind power capacity was growing at a stable rate of about 1,000 MW annually, it was below France's objective outlined in its 2015 energy bill.
France, which relies on its 58 nuclear reactor parks for over 70 percent of its energy needs, plans to develop cleaner energies with power from wind reaching 15 gigawatts (GW) in 2018 from 10 GW currently, and 24 GW by 2023.
New wind turbine installations in France had been slowed for years by a law that required all wind farms to have a least five turbines and strong local control over wind farm zoning.
The rule has been scrapped and the permit procedure simplified to boost investments in the sector. (Reporting by Bate Felix
