France's first commercial-scale offshore wind project is now fully operational.
The 480-megawatt Saint-Nazaire Offshore Wind Farm has been under development for almost a decade as a major contributor to France’s long-term wind energy strategy, which aims to generate a third of its energy from wind power by 2030. French President Emmanuel Macron has promised to cut the bureaucracy involved in the development of wind projects to expedite their deployment.
France is also supporting the development of new wind technologies and is one of the first countries to explore the construction of floating wind turbines, Maritime Executive reports.
The Saint-Nazaire wind farm is located off the southwest coast of France near Brittany. It was developed in a partnership that includes EDF Renewables and EIH S.à.r.l, a subsidiary of Enbridge, and CPP Investments. French shipyard and infrastructure builder Chantiers de l'Atlantique worked with General Electric Renewable Energy for the construction of the nacelles, the electrical substation, and the structures for the wind farm.
"Enbridge is excited about the arrival of the first commercial-scale offshore wind project in France, the Saint-Nazaire Offshore Wind Farm, and about our role as a leader of the global energy transition,” Matthew Akman, senior vice president, power, strategy and new energy technology for Enbridge said.
“We're advancing several renewable energy projects in Europe and North America, and we are proud to have met this achievement ahead of schedule."
Wind energy power was first generated in June and has now reached full power. The wind farm will produce the equivalent of 20% of the Loire-Atlantique's annual electricity consumption and supply the equivalent of the consumption of 700 000 people with electricity annually. About 100 people are employed at the site to ensure the operation and maintenance of the wind farm.
This wind farm is part of the EDF Group's strategy to double its net capacity of global renewable energy to reach 60 GW in 2030. The firm is participating in France’s National Low-Carbon Strategy, which aims to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 through energy conservation, nuclear power and the acceleration of renewables.
The firms started construction of a third wind farm in France, the 448-MW Calvados offshore wind project, located in the Normandy region, last year. It is expected to be operational in 2024. Onshore construction of the 24-MW Provence Grand Large Floating Offshore Wind project, which is due to deploy in 2023 as France’s first floating wind farm, also started recently.
