The news service was reporting on a speech to a French parliamentary committee made by Energy Minister Eric Besson said that bids by prospective developers will be due in early January with successful candidates announced in early April 2012.
In total, the project tender will see 600 offshore wind turbines erected with a capacity of 3 GW.
"This means production of 9 TW hours, or 2 percent of national consumption. That's the equivalent of electricity supply for 4.5 million households," Besson said.
France aims to obtain 23 percent of the energy it consumes from renewable sources by 2020.
The country, which generates most of its electricity from nuclear plants, has lagged behind some other European Union countries in renewable capacity, notably in wind power.
For additional information:
