France Adds 500 MW of Wind Capacity

France added 500 megawatts of new wind power capacity in the third quarter, taking new wind capacity since the start of the year to 1,019 MW, 23% higher compared with the same period of a year ago, official data showed on Friday. The new additions take France’s installed wind capacity to 12.9 gigawatts, the ecology ministry said. Projects under various instances of review amount to nearly 12 GW, Reuters reported. Electricity production from French wind turbines was at 15.5 terrawatt-hour in the first three quarters of 2017—about 4.5% of electricity consumption in France. France plans to increase installed wind capacity to 15 GW by the end of next year from 12.3 GW as of June, and double that capacity to 26 GW by 2023. The ministry said 484 MW of new solar power capacity was connected to the grid in the first nine months of the year, a 7% increase compared with the same period of a year ago.