Britain's Octopus Energy announced on Tuesday that its joint venture with Skyborn Renewables has been pre-qualified by the French government to participate in the AO9 offshore wind tender, marking its first involvement in early-stage offshore wind tenders globally.
The AO9 tender, set for next year, covers up to 2.9 GW across four offshore wind sites. Among the 12 pre-qualified bidders are major players such as Iberdrola, RWE, and TotalEnergies. Final winners are expected to be announced in autumn 2025, with project commissioning targeted between 2032 and 2034.
France currently has approximately 1 GW of offshore wind capacity but aims to expand this to 18 GW by 2035 and 45 GW by 2050. “Offshore wind will undoubtedly play an integral role in France's energy system, harnessing strong winds to generate more clean power,” said Zoisa North-Bond, CEO of Octopus Energy Generation.
Octopus entered the offshore wind sector in 2022 and has since invested $2 billion globally, managing six wind farms across the UK, Netherlands, and Germany. The company has also supported developers in countries such as Norway, Sweden, and South Korea and plans to invest $20 billion in offshore wind by 2030.
Skyborn Renewables brings considerable expertise, having commissioned a 500-MW offshore wind farm earlier this year and developing another project in France in partnership with EDF Renewables.
The AO9 tender represents a strategic opportunity for Octopus and Skyborn to further their roles in the growing French offshore wind market, in line with France's ambitious renewable energy goals.
