French Floating Offshore Wind Project Reaches Financial Close

Business & Finance

January 26, 2022, by Adnan Durakovic

Ocean Winds and the Banque des territoires have reached the final investment decision for the Eoliennes Flottantes du Golfe du Lion (EFGL) floating wind project offshore France.

Illustration; WindFloat Atlantic; Photo: EDP Renewables (archive)

This step will allow the signing of contracts with the main industrial and financial partners and the launch of the project’s actual implementation phase, the developers said.

The 30 MW EFGL pilot project involves the construction and operation of three 10 MW floating wind turbines supported by Principle Power’s WindFloat semi-submersible floating foundations.

The wind farm is located in the Mediterranean Sea, more than 16 kilometres offshore from Leucate, Aude, and Le Barcarès, Pyrénées-Orientales.

The turbines, the most powerful ever to be installed on a floating foundation, will cover the annual electricity needs of more than 50,000 coastal residents, the developers said.

The wind farm is scheduled to be commissioned at the end of 2023 and will operate for 20 years.

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”Thanks to the high-level teams working on the project, this FID marks a step closer in the construction of a pilot that will serve as a technological reference for the entire floating wind energy sector,” said Grzegorz Gorski, COO Ocean Winds.

”As the third generation of the Principle Power Inc. floater technology – after WindFloat Atlantic (2MW) starting operation ten years ago and WindFloat Atlantic (25MW) from two years ago – the design of the EFGL floater holds significant improvements and new solutions. With such a long operational experience, it is now the most advanced floater technology and is ready for a full-scale commercial deployment.”

Ocean Winds is an international offshore wind energy company created and owned equally by EDP Renewables (EDPR) and ENGIE.

”Ocean Winds with PPI technology is now the only continuation of the French pilot programme projects bidding in Bretagne Sud tender. The other technologies awarded are either discontinued or the awarded developers changed their bets,” Gorski said.