The French Ministry for the Ecological and Solidary Transition has launched a tender for 300 MW of solar photovoltaic (PV) projects as part of the reconversion programme of the Fessenheim nuclear power plant that is due to be decommissioned by 2022 at the latest.
Unveiled in April 2018, the tender entails 200 MW of ground-mounted PV ranging in capacity from 500 kW up to 30 MW, with the remaining 100 MW attributed to rooftop projects divided in two categories: 75 MW for large installations (500 kW to 8 MW) and 25 MW for smaller ones (100 kW to 500 kW). Proposals selected among the first two categories will be granted to a premium feed-in tariff (FiT) - €50-70/MWh for ground-mounted installations and €70-100/MWh for large rooftop installations - while small rooftop installations will have access to a regular FIT estimated at €80-110/MWh.
The solar tender has received consent from the European Commission, considering that it is in line with the EU environmental objectives and will contribute to the French and European objectives of energy efficiency and energy production from renewable sources.