France’s latest technology-neutral tender (open to solar PV, wind, and hydropower projects) has awarded a total of 507.7MW in solar PV capacity, with only solar projects selected.
This fourth tender round, known as AO PPE2 Neutre, awarded 36 ground-mounted solar projects, marking the first instance of zero awards for wind or hydropower projects.
The PPE2 tender program was launched in 2021 as a continuation of previous schemes, aiming to award 29GW of electricity capacity by 2026. The AO PPE2 Neutre tender is held annually, while other dedicated solar tenders are held twice a year.
The average winning price in this latest tender was €74.13/MWh ($87.1/MWh), a decrease of over €6 from the previous round and the lowest price since the first tender in 2022 (average €76.89/MWh).
This price is also lower than the average prices in France’s two ground-mounted solar-only tenders held in 2025 (around €79/MWh).
As shown in the chart below, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, with 171.45MW, was the region awarded the largest capacity, followed by Centre-Val de Loire with 136.18MW. These two regions together account for over half of the total solar capacity awarded in the fourth tender round.
Although prices have decreased compared to previous tenders, France’s prices remain higher than those in neighboring countries like Germany and Italy. Italy’s latest Fer-X tender (which uses “non-price criteria” for product procurement and awarded 1.1GW of solar capacity) saw higher prices compared to another Fer-X tender with no restrictions on product origin.
This tender aligns with the EU’s Net-Zero Industry Act (NZIA), aiming to award projects that do not use Chinese-manufactured products for key components such as batteries, modules, and inverters.
The average electricity price in this tender was €66.378/MWh, approximately €10 higher than another dedicated Fer-X tender without origin restrictions held days earlier. It remains to be seen whether this price difference is sufficient to cover the costs of procuring non-Chinese batteries, modules, and inverters.
