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Commenting on the €10-billion tender process, broker Bryan Garnier said that it would help bring about a France-based offshore supply chain.

"The French government expects 10,000 jobs around offshore wind," said analyst Julien Desmaretz. "While not obviously stated, the structure of the tender favours French players.

"Alstom, which is developing a 6MW offshore turbine, has teamed up with EDF and Dong and this consortium looks like a very serious candidate," he said. "On the other side of the equation, we think the consortium formed by GDF-Suez, Areva and Vinci still lacks offshore experience at the moment, which is crucial to drive costs down."

Until now, international players have been quiet with regard to the French offshore tender, but Garnier believes operators like RWE and Eon, and turbine manufacturers Siemens and Vestas, will announce their interest "in the coming weeks and months".

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