Consortium with Nass&Wind Wins Tender for Three French Wind Farms

Following the official announcement by the French government of the results of Round 1 of the tender concerning the building of wind farms off the coasts of France, Nass&Wind Offshore is proud to report that the consortium comprising EDF Energies Nouvelles, DONG Energy, Alstom, WPD Offshore and Nass&Wind Offshore has successfully won three out of the four batches it was competing for, including the Saint-Nazaire site developed by Nass&Wind Offshore. A very successful outcome indeed, that the Lorient-based company has been instrumental in achieving.

Nass&Wind Offshore is the only independent French SME in the running at this stage of the competition. In order to achieve its ambitions, the Lorient-based company has invested around €12 million over the past five years, half of which for the Banc de Guérande wind farm situated off the coast of Saint-Nazaire (Loire-Atlantique).

The company contributed to the success of the consortium’s offer through the carrying out of environmental impact and other technical studies in order to evaluate the suitability of the sites (wind, water, soil). These studies proved instrumental in the decision-making process, allowing the consortium to refine its industrial project.

In the words of Olivier Schwebel, General Director of Nass&Wind Offshore, “The adventure has only just begun. The road ahead will no doubt be long, and we will have to rise to several challenges along the way, but this initial success places our company right up there with the lead players that will be taking part in this journey. On the basis of the in-depth studies we have carried out and the precise data we have collected since 2008, we have effectively built the first stage of the rocket and provided it with enough fuel to ensure take-off. Indeed, it is thanks to these studies and data that the consortium was able to submit such competitive offers. While our partners may have played the most significant part in the tender process, Nass&Wind Offshore’s contribution was nevertheless absolutely essential. The relations we have built up right from the start with local government representatives, associations, users of the sea, local residents and the competent government departments, allowed us to bring to the consortium increased confidence in our chances of seeing the projects through to a successful conclusion, with the support of the local communities involved.”

Peter Nass, General Director of the Nass&Wind group that he founded in 2001 with Nathalie Le Meur, has also expressed his satisfaction with the work accomplished and the result obtained by his teams. “Our vision concerning the development of offshore wind projects in France has been confirmed at the highest level. Both the commitment of our teams, and the investments we have made, have been rewarded. We have proved that ours is a winning strategy, consisting in providing the most precise, reliable data to leading industrialists faced with the choice of whether or not to invest billions of Euros in a project of this nature. Not only does this success and the experience acquired by our teams now allow us to calmly consider our role as one of the key players in Round 2 of the tender process, they also guarantee the future of the industrial programme to develop floating offshore wind farms in France.”

And as Nathalie Le Meur, President of the Nass&Wind group, points out, “Where these ambitious French projects are concerned, determination and innovation are the keys to success, especially for a company such as ours. All of the players involved must be dedicated to making our maritime regions, especially Brittany, Normandy and the Pays de la Loire, the real winners in this extraordinary adventure. And they must also remember that our fellow citizens do not appreciate being kept out of the loop where decisions of this nature are concerned.” 

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Offshore WIND staff, April 19, 2012; Image: developpement-durable Nass&Wind