Feed-in tariff (Tarif d’achat)

Abbreviated form of legal source(s)

Code de l’énergie
Arrêté du 9 mai 2017 soleil
Arrêté du 9 mai 2017 biogaz
Arrêté du 3 septembre 2019 biogaz
Arrêté du 13 décembre 2016 biogaz
Arrêté du 13 décembre 2016 hydro
Décret du 28 mai 2016
Arrêté du 8 mars 2013
Loi de finances 2021

Description of support scheme

Feed-in tariff schemes are established by orders for specific technologies using renewable energy sources for electricity production. These orders guarantee that a minimum price be paid to the renewable energy plant operator by the supplier (EDF or private suppliers) for the electricity exported to the grid.
Each order sets time limits for the tariffs, based on the technology:
• Wind energy in cyclonic risk areas: 15 years (Art. 4, Arrêté du 8 mars 2013)
• Solar energy (photovoltaic energy): 20 years (Art. 7, Arrêté du 9 mai 2017 soleil)
• Biogas: 20 years (art.10, Arrêté du 13 décembre 2016 biogaz)
• Hydro-electricity: 20 years (Art.9, arrêté du 13 décembre 2016 hydro)

Amount

Wind energy offshore:
• Floating wind energy installations: the tariff is agreed during the call procedure.
• Wind energy (offshore) plants exposed to cyclonic risk: €0.23 per kWh for the first 10 years, followed between a tariff ranging from €0.05 to €0.23 for five years depending on operational time.
Solar energy: the tariffs - which are only applicable to plants with a capacity limited to 100 kW - are published quarterly by CRE (Energy Regulatory Commission).
Biogas:
• Plants with a capacity of ≤ 80 kW: €0.175 per kWh
• Plants with a capacity of ≥ 500 kW: €0.150 per kWh
• Plants with a capacity between 80 and 500 kW: linear interpolation
• Bonus of €0.05 per kWh for plants using 60% manure
• the tariffs are decreased by 0.5% on a quarterly basis (Annex 1, Arrêté du 13 décembre 2016 biogaz)
Hydro power:
• New or existing tidal or wave energy, marine current turbines, and run-of-river plants with a drop height over 30 meters:
o Non-interconnected area: € 0.12/kWh
o Interconnected areas and Corsica: between € 0.088/kWh in summer and € 0.166/kWh in winter
• New or existing tidal or wave energy, marine current turbines, and run-of-river plants with a drop height up to 30 meters:
o Non-interconnected area: € 0.132/kWh
o Interconnected areas and Corsica: between € .0096/kWh in summer and € 0.182/kWh in winter
• New turbines derived by minimum water flow originating from a running hydro power plant holding a hydroelectric concession
o Non-interconnected area: € 0.08/kWh
o Interconnected areas and Corsica: between € 0.058/kWh in summer and € 0.11/kWh in winter
Non-interconnected areas include: Corsica, the overseas departments and regions (Guadeloupe, Reunion, Mayotte), the territorial communities (Martinique, Guyana), certain overseas collectivities (Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon, Wallis and Futuna in particular) and the Channel Island of Chausey. New Caledonia and French Polynesia, due to their special status, are not considered as non-interconnected areas.

Addressees

The addressees of feed-in tariffs are operators of eligible plants, whose installation does not exceed 12 MW or the technology specific limits. On the other hand, electricity suppliers (EDF and local operators) are the designated entities for paying the feed-in tariff.

Procedure

Purchase agreements are put in place between renewable energy plant operators and electricity suppliers, mandating for the payment of the supplied electricity.

Competent authority

Ministry of Energy, or Regional prefect.

Energy Regulatory Commission or CRE also provides advice on the draft decree.

Technologies

Wind energy onshore
Wind energy offshore: • Floating wind energy installations which won a call for projects either in the framework of the “Investments for the Future Programme” (programme des investissements d'avenir) or as part of the "New Entrant Reserve" from the European Commission. The installation shall be located in the maritime public domain or in the Exclusive Economic Zone of metropolitan France (Art. 1, Décret du 28 mai 2016).
• Wind energy plants located in an area particularly exposed to cyclonic risk and equipped with a device for forecasting and smoothing electricity production (Art. 1, Décret du 28 mai 2016).
Solar energy: Only plants installed on buildings whose installed capacity does not exceed 100 kW are eligible (Art.1, Décret du 28 mai 2016).
Geothermal energy
Biogas: • Installations using mainly biogas from Non-Hazardous Waste Storage Facilities located on the continental metropolitan territory (Arrêté du 3 septembre 2019 biogaz)
• Installations principally using biogas produced by the methanisation of materials resulting from the treatment of urban or industrial wastewater (Arrêté du 9 mai 2017 biogaz)
• Installations using mainly biogas produced from the anaerobic digestion of non-hazardous waste and raw plant material (Arrêté du 13 décembre 2016 biogaz)
• The installed capacity of for all these types of plant shall be less than 500 kW
Hydro-power: • Only plants whose installed capacity does not exceed 500 kW are eligible (art. 12, arrêté du 13 décembre 2016 hydro; art. D314-15, Code de l’énergie).
• Only plants that qualify under one of the following categories are eligible (art. D314-15, Code de l’énergie):
o Existing and new installations that generate electricity from tidal or wave energy, marine current turbines, and run-of-river plants.
o New turbines drived by minimum water flow originating from a running hydro power plant holding a hydroelectric concession.
• Only plants which have not benefited from another public support scheme for their construction are eligible (Art. 12, arrêté du 13 décembre hydro).
Biomass