Job cuts at BayWa r.e. France

BayWa r.e. France has started an employment safeguard plan (PSE), which involves cutting 36 jobs. The plan was presented to employee representatives on October 19 and would reduce the company's workforce from 220 to 201 employees, including 6 currently vacant roles and 17 new positions. The restructuring is still pending approval from legal information-consultation procedures and negotiations with trade unions.

Uncertainty in the solar energy market

The job cuts come at a time of uncertainty for the photovoltaic, or solar, energy market. Recent tender calls for solar projects ended with very low prices, and a new "super neutral" tender call is expected to start in early 2027. Changes in how compensation is calculated, now using M0 baseload instead of M0 solar, have raised concerns about the financial viability of some solar projects and may favor wind energy projects instead.

Impact on specific teams

The restructuring mainly affects the "project" teams at BayWa r.e. France, while the EPC teams, which handle engineering and construction, are not impacted. The company has confirmed that its commitments to landowners, local authorities, investors, customers, and partners for projects currently being developed, built, or operated remain unchanged, according to a spokesperson.

Trend in renewable energy sector

Since the end of 2025, employment safeguard plans have become more common among renewable energy companies in France. OKWind, for example, carried out a company-wide restructuring that reduced its workforce from 235 to 134 employees by May 31, 2026, while also decreasing personnel costs by 4 percent to 14.6 million euros. Other companies like Urbasolar, Valorem, and Voltalia have also implemented similar job-cutting plans in recent months.