Ratings agency Standard and Poor’s has released a new report examining the state of the wind industry in France in which it suggests the French government is considering changes to current legislation to spur growth in the sector.

The report, French Wind Power Gaining Momentum But Not Yet A Breeze, acknowledges that considerable challenges remain with only 386 MW of wind power installed at year-end 2004.

Standard & Poor’s credit analyst Alexandre de Lestrange identifies four obstacles to optimum growth in wind power including a strong focus on nuclear; tariff regulations and the size of wind farms, grid access, and the procedures operators are required to go through to sign a power purchase agreement.