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Bloomberg
Electricite de France (EDF) and its Canadian and German partners have finalised the funding of a 2 billion euro ($2.23 billion) offshore wind project, allowing construction to start in the English Channel.
EDF, Enbridge Inc and Wpd AG plan to commission the 500-megawatt wind farm in 2023, the companies said in a statement on Tuesday. The facility near the Fecamp harbor in Normandy will use 71 turbines made by Siemens Gamesa
Renewable Energy.
France is lagging behind countries such as the UK, Germany and Denmark in offshore wind as projects have been delayed by legal proceedings from opponents, which have criticised their costs and environmental impact.
The government, which wants to reduce the country’s dependence on aging nuclear plants to make room for renewable energies, decided to accelerate offshore wind farm tenders as construction prices have slumped.
“These large-scale projects fit with EDF’s strategy, under which it aims to double its renewable energy capacity worldwide between 2015 and 2030 to 50 gigawatt net,†EDF Renewables CEO Bruno Bensasson said.
EDF and Enbridge each own 35% of the project, and Wpd holds the rest. The power generated by the Fecamp wind farm will provide enough annual electricity to meet the power needs for 770,000 people, according to the statement. It will benefit from a 20-year power purchase agreement granted by the French government.
EDF and Enbridge started building France’s first offshore wind farm last year, and they are working with Wpd on the financing of a third one. All three were awarded in a government tender in 2012.