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Press review · No. 1

Biomethane gets visibility to 2044, while the budget keeps solar under pressure

In this first issue, the key news from the first three weeks of October: support for biomethane extended to 2044, a 2027 budget that worries the solar sector, and new European rules for large livestock farms.

Faroe26 October 2026News from 1 to 25 October 2026

The week in numbers

2044Horizon for biomethane support, with the extension of production certificates

€61.33Per MWh: average price of the ground-mounted solar plants selected by the CRE, down 23%

43%Shortfall in grassland growth as at 10 October, compared with a normal year

Sources: decree no. 2026-933; CRE; Agreste.

Solar and energy

pv magazine France20 Oct 2026

2027 budget: early termination of old solar contracts rejected in committee

The draft 2027 budget plans to end early the solar feed-in tariff contracts signed between 2006 and 2010 for installations above 250 kWp, and to stop production during negative-price hours from 100 kW, with reduced compensation. The National Assembly's economic affairs committee voted to delete this article. This is only a first step: the text reaches the floor on 27 October, the Assembly votes on the budget on 17 November, then the Senate will examine it.

Why it matters. Revenues from installations under contracts signed between 2006 and 2010 remain uncertain until the final vote.

Read on pv magazine France

L'Echo du Solaire12 Oct 2026

CRE tenders: the price of ground-mounted solar falls 23%

On 9 October the Energy Regulatory Commission (CRE) published the results of two tenders. For ground-mounted plants, 125 projects were selected for 931 MWp, at €61.33/MWh on average compared with €79.48/MWh in the previous round. For installations of 100 to 500 kWp, 871 projects were selected for 288 MWp at €75.48/MWh, and the CRE proposes extending this tender to installations of up to 1 MWp.

Why it matters. Competition is tough: only the projects with the tightest costs get through, which favours sites chosen well from the start.

Read on L'Echo du Solaire

L'Echo du Solaire20 Oct 2026

Solar plus battery: up to 25 MW installed for 17 MW exported

On 15 October the government presented the second phase of its electrification plan. A waiver planned by the end of 2026 will let sites that combine renewable generation and a battery install up to 25 MW, compared with 17 MW today, without ever exporting more than 17 MW to the grid. The siting rules for batteries are to be set out by 1 December.

Why it matters. On the same grid connection, a project will be able to install more panels if it stores the surplus.

Read on L'Echo du Solaire

pv magazine France22 Oct 2026

China considers restricting exports of its solar technologies

Beijing is consulting until 15 November on adding twelve photovoltaic technologies to its list of banned or restricted exports, including perovskite and tandem cells and the know-how to make silicon, wafers and cells. Finished modules would not be affected, but technology transfers and building factories abroad would be.

Why it matters. Solar factory projects in Europe could be delayed, and modules could remain mostly imported.

Read on pv magazine France

Farming and livestock

Official Journal of the EU16 Oct 2026

Pigs and poultry: Brussels sets the rules for large farms

Published on 16 October, Implementing Decision 2026/2260 sets the operating rules for large pig and poultry farms covered by the EU Industrial Emissions Directive: caps on excreted nitrogen and phosphorus, caps on ammonia emissions per building, techniques against odour and dust, and manure management. It will apply by 2030 at the latest for farms of at least 600 livestock units, by 2031 for farms of 400 units or more, and by 2032 for the others. The techniques listed are not mandatory: each Member State can approve others if they offer the same protection.

Why it matters. Feed, building and equipment suppliers now know their customers' timetable for bringing farms up to standard.

Read on Official Journal of the EU

info.gouv.fr15 Oct 2026

Farm crisis: €500m to €700m mentioned, and a farm handover pact

On 15 October the Prime Minister mentioned an envelope of about €500m to €700m, still to be decided and voted through in the 2027 budget, on top of the €1.3bn emergency plan, as well as a tax pact to make it easier to take over farms. The decrees of the farm emergency law, including simpler rules for work on livestock buildings, are expected before Christmas.

Why it matters. If the funding is approved, investment in livestock buildings and equipment could pick up again in 2027.

Read on info.gouv.fr

Réussir19 Oct 2026

Grassland: grass growth 43% behind

By 10 October, cumulative growth of permanent grassland was 43% below the 1989-2018 reference average, according to Agreste, the farm ministry's statistics service. The shortfall reaches nearly 50% in the Grand Est region and in Burgundy.

Why it matters. Fodder purchases, tight cash flow, smaller herds: cooperatives and suppliers need to prepare for winter.

Read on Réussir

Réussir15 Oct 2026

Agrial-Terrena merger: the plan is now with the competition authority

The proposed merger of the two cooperatives is being reviewed by the French Competition Authority. Their delegates are due to vote in mid-December at extraordinary general meetings, with completion targeted for 1 January 2027. The new group would have nearly €13bn in revenue, with its headquarters in Angers.

Why it matters. If the merger is approved, suppliers in western France will face a bigger buyer.

Read on Réussir

Anaerobic digestion and biogas

Banque des Territoires12 Oct 2026

Biomethane: production certificates extended to 2044

Published in the Official Journal on 9 October, decree no. 2026-933 extends the first obligation period for gas suppliers to the end of 2029, then sets five three-year periods up to 2044. An order of 4 October raises from 75% to 90% the share of guarantee-of-origin revenue paid back to the State for new contracts.

Why it matters. Anaerobic digestion plant developers can build their business plans on selling certificates over the long term.

Read on Banque des Territoires

Bioenergy Insight15 Oct 2026

Biomethane: Europe passes 8 billion m³ of capacity

At European Biomethane Week, in Brussels from 12 to 16 October, the European Energy Commissioner called biomethane a strategic asset. European production capacity exceeds 8 billion m³, and a recent study puts the potential at 35 billion m³ in 2030.

Why it matters. A positive political signal for project developers seeking European funding.

Read on Bioenergy Insight

Imagery and data

Banque des Territoires2 Oct 2026

Public data: IGN and Dinum team up to simplify access

Announced on 1 October at the Forum de la donnée territoriale, the alliance between IGN, the national mapping agency, and Dinum, the government's digital directorate, is preparing a joint offer to bring order to the more than 500 platforms whose data is republished on data.gouv.fr, with a first pilot in Occitanie. Cartes.gouv.fr replaced the Géoportail on 30 September, and AI assistants can already query data.gouv.fr through a dedicated connector.

Why it matters. Finding and combining public data (buildings, land parcels, maps) should get easier, including from an AI assistant.

Read on Banque des Territoires

Google Research14 Oct 2026

Google opens up AI agents that reason over geographic data

Google offers an experimental interface that connects its Gemini model to its Earth observation models (floods, population, weather) and to Earth Engine, Maps and Data Commons. A forecasting tool also lets a company train models on its own data. Access is limited for now to a small group of early users.

Why it matters. In time, combining imagery, weather and population data by asking a question in plain language could be done without a GIS team.

Read on Google Research

SatVu2 Oct 2026

Thermal imaging: SatVu launches a satellite that will double its capacity

HotSat-3, from the British company SatVu, launched in early October. It detects heat sources on the ground, by day and night, with a resolution of 3.5 m. Once in service, it will double the operator's capacity; SatVu works for defence, economic intelligence and the monitoring of industrial and energy sites. Two more satellites, HotSat-4 and 5, are in production.

Why it matters. A site's heat, measured from space, reveals whether it is running or idle.

Read on SatVu

Summaries written by Faroe from the sources cited, which remain the reference. Some sources are in French. Check each point with the source before you decide.

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