France misses out on wind power investments - report

Aug 26, 2011 - France has become a less attractive destination for wind energy investments in comparison with countries from eastern Europe, such as Romania or Poland, Frederic Lanoe, general director of renewable energy group EDP Renovaveis France, told daily La Tribune yesterday.
According to the manager, the existing regulation in France imposes too many limits on the wind power sector.
At present, if a company wants to build a wind farm in France, it has to face the same conditions required for the installation of an industrial facility which may be harmful for the environment.
Moreover, investors have to consider the requirement that wind turbines should be located at a distance of 20 km (12.43 miles) from weather, army and civil aviation radars. That condition is another obstacle for green investors as projects for a total capacity of 3,000 MW are blocked due to proximity with radars.
Another obstacle for wind energy investments is the time necessary for obtaining a building permit. In France, this procedure takes nearly two years, versus only six months in Belgium, Lanoe said.
France is committed to achieve a 23% share of green energy in the overall electricity consumption by 2020 versus 13% at present. By 2020, wind energy is expected to account for one-third of the share of green energy.

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