The assessment was made on the basis of the wind resource, various technical criteria and possible grid connections.
Michel revealed the results will be submitted to energy minister Ségolène Royal in the next few weeks for validation. Consultations will then be held with the regional authorities over the next four months before the final selection is announced early next year.
The government is considering whether it will hold one or two tenders for the 3GW remaining from the original target of 6GW tobe installed offshore by 2020. However, Michel said he expected a tender process to be launched next year, for building in 2022 or 2023.
So far, 3GW of offshore capacity has been awarded in two tender rounds.
While there are no official indications yet where the zones might be, Dunkerque is petitioning for a 500MW project 10 kilometres off the coast. Other possible contenders are in the Baie de Somme, off La Rochelle, and an extension to the Fécamp project.
