The European Commission said on Friday it approved French state aid for six offshore wind farms in France to help the country meet its climate and renewable energy targets.
The farms, which will each have 62 to 83 wind turbines and an expected capacity of 450 to 498 megawatts, should allow to France boost its renewable energy generation capacity by about three gigawatts and curb its carbon dioxide emissions.
"The level of aid granted to the six projects is proportionate and does not entail overcompensation of the beneficiaries," the Commission said.
The construction of the six wind farms off France's north-western coast is likely to start this year and be operational in 2022, the Commission said.
The companies involved, selected through two tenders in 2011 and 2012, will receive the support in the form of feed-in tariffs over a period of 20 years, the Commission said.
Under EU law, the bloc's governments can provide state support for the production of electricity from renewable energy sources under certain conditions.
(Reporting by Daphne Psaledakis, editing by Robin Emmott)