The award of the two projects in the Gulf of Lion follows a competitive bidding process initiated in 2022 with thirteen candidates in the running whittled down to two by the Energy Regulatory Commission (CRE).
For the project located in the ‘Narbonne’ area, approximately 25km east from the coast between the towns of Agde and Port-la-Nouvelle, the winning consortium is composed of Ocean Winds and Eolien en Mer Participation, with a tariff of €/MWh92.70 (US$96.80).
For the project located in the ‘Gulf of Fos’ area, somewhat over 25km to the southwest of the commune of Fos-sur-Mer, the winning company is Eoliennes Méditerranée Grand Large, a joint shareholding between EDF Renewables and Maple Power, with a tariff of €/MWh85.90 (US$89.70).
In a statement, Marc Ferracci, Minister for Industry and Energy, underlined the importance of these wind projects.
“[They] combine a green industrial sector and the response to the challenges of the energy transition,” he said, insisting on the success of a coordination of all the parties – “the winners, RTE, the executives and local elected officials, in the service of France’s energy independence and the reduction of our climate debt.”
The statement notes that the winners have each committed to recycling wind turbines, including blades and magnets, and to entrusting 10% of the services of studies, manufacture of components, works and activities relating to operations to SMEs.
They intend to offer at least €10 million (US$10.5 million) in financing or crowdfunding and each should mobilise 400,000 hours of professional integration for the benefit of people experiencing social or professional difficulties, including at least 20% of training hours, i.e. 80,000 hours.
They also have signed the charter committing them to contribute to the regional structuring of a French marine renewable energy sector.
This A06 award follows the A05 award of the first commercial floating wind project with a capacity of around 250MW to a consortium of Elicion and BayWa to be sited off the coast of Brittany in the north Atlantic.
Together with the commissioning of the Fécamp and Saint-Brieuc wind farms, the award is considered a further step towards achieving France’s objectives of 18GW of offshore wind in service by 2035 and 45GW by 2050.
With the award the cumulative capacity of projects in service, under construction or under development on the French coast is nearly 5.3GW.
