French state-controlled utility Electricite de France SA (EDF.FR) has decided not to bid for the development of a wind farm in Le Treport in northern France , reports French business daily Les Echos Monday.

"We have taken this decision in order to focus on the four other [wind farm] areas," David Cordhia, the chief executive of EDF Energies Nouvelles, is quoted as saying by Les Echos.

There were fears within the group that the project would meet significant resistance in the region, especially among fisherman, says the report.

EDF's early withdrawal from the race also shows a certain "realism," as French energy company GDF Suez SA (GSZ.FR) is already a few steps ahead because it has been working in the region since 2005, says Les Echos.

The French government announced in July the launch of a EUR10 billion tender offer to build five offshore wind farms in a bid to boost the country's renewable energy industry.

The wind farms, which will comprise some 1,200 wind turbines off the north and west coast of France --in Le Treport, Fecamp, Courseulles-sur-mer, Saint-Brieuc and Saint-Nazaire--should generate 3.5% of the country's electricity output, the French ecology and industry ministries said.

The long-awaited tender is part of a wider government push to make renewable energy account for 23% of total energy production by 2020. It also comes as France 's government is under increasing pressure to reduce its dependence on nuclear power.

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