While France is seriously lagging behind in the development of offshore wind farms, an important stage has just been reached.
EDF, via Éolienne en Mer Manche Normandie, its project company, and its historic partner, Maple Power, announced Agnès Pannier Runacher, Minister for Energy Transition, to the daily La Presse de la Manche.
This first park will have a production capacity of 1GW, which corresponds to the electricity needs of 1.5 million inhabitants, ie approximately half of the electricity needs of the population of the Normandy region.
EDF won the contract, instructed by the Energy Regulation Commission (CRE) by offering "
a price of less than 45 euros
".
A key element while the regulator has made the price the most important criteria for its call for tenders.
The park will be located more than 32 km from the coast and 40 km from the Vauban towers of Saint-Vaast-la Hougue (Cotentin), a UNESCO listed site.
With this new park, the cumulative power of offshore wind projects currently under development reaches 4 GW.
The pace of development of French offshore wind power should experience a boost, after the vote on March 10 of the Renewable Energy Acceleration Act.
“
In this dynamic, Agnès Pannier-Runacher is also announcing the launch of a national consultation on the acceleration of competition procedures and on the evolution of the methods of public support for offshore wind farms. All citizens can participate up to on June 12, 2023 on the éoliennesenmer.fr site
”, mentions the ministry.
The construction of this park should begin between 2026 and 2027, after the impact study has been carried out and the administrative authorizations have been obtained.
It should be connected in 2031. At the same time, the call for tenders procedure for the construction of a second wind farm in the “
Centre Manche
” zone, launched in January 2022, is continuing its course.
Seven candidates were chosen to participate in the call for tenders, yet on an investment of between 4 and 5 billion euros.
This second park should be connected to it in 2032.
France has set itself the goal of having an installed capacity of offshore wind power, fixed and floating, of 2.4 GW in 2023 and around 5 GW in 2028, then 40 GW in 2050. A real challenge at the current rate of development.
Until now it takes twelve years for a wind farm to come out of the sea, in particular due to (very) long administrative delays.
France may have the second potential for offshore wind power, but it is still a stone's throw from its British, Dutch and German neighbours.