Urbasolar Wins French Government Contract for Solar Projects on Former Military Sites

Urbasolar, a subsidiary of Axpo, has been awarded a contract by the French government to develop solar power plants on former military sites, further advancing renewable energy deployment across France.

The projects are part of a broader initiative to repurpose underutilized land for renewable energy generation, transforming former defence-related areas into productive assets that contribute to national decarbonization goals. Such sites often offer suitable conditions for solar development, including large available land areas and limited competing land use.

The awarded capacity forms part of France’s ongoing efforts to expand its solar portfolio through public tenders, which play a central role in guiding renewable energy deployment while maintaining cost competitiveness. By leveraging previously developed land, the projects also address land-use constraints that can affect greenfield solar development.

For Urbasolar, the contract adds to its growing pipeline of projects in France, where the company has been active in utility-scale solar deployment. Backed by Axpo, the developer combines local market expertise with access to broader financial and operational resources, enabling participation in large-scale public tenders.

The initiative reflects a wider trend across Europe, where governments are increasingly looking to optimize land use by integrating renewable energy into existing or repurposed sites, including industrial zones, brownfields, and former military areas.

As countries seek to accelerate the energy transition while balancing land constraints, such projects are expected to play an increasingly important role in expanding solar capacity without competing with agricultural or residential land use.