French Wind-Power Backlash Seen Pushing Capacity Growth to 20-Year Low

France is poised to add the smallest amount of wind-power capacity in 20 years as a backlash against turbines led by the anti-immigration National Rally party compounds political instability caused by a hung Parliament.

Assuming the pace of turbine installations seen in the first half continues to year-end, France would add about 500 megawatts of capacity, the least since 2005, said Jules Nyssen, president of Syndicat des Energies Renouvelables, the country’s biggest renewable energy lobby. It’s the result of lack of direction in energy policy at the national level, he said during a press conference in Paris on Thursday.