France – Ocean Winds, a 50:50 joint venture between EDP Renewables (EDPR) and ENGIE, and the “Banque des Territories,” as shareholders in the Eoliennes flottantes du Golfe du Lion (EFGL) project, have just reached the Final Investment Decision, committing to the project’s construction.
This significant step will pave the way for contracts to be signed with the project’s major industrial and financial partners, as well as the start of the project’s actual implementation phase.
Innovative technology
The EFGL project, which was developed in collaboration with local stakeholders and with environmental considerations in mind, is already a benchmark in terms of environmental studies and biodiversity monitoring and protection. Ocean Winds’ ambition to quickly position floating wind energy as a competitive source integrated into the French energy mix is hampered by innovative technological choices.
More than 16 kilometres offshore from Leucate (Aude) and Le Barcarès (Pyrénées-Orientales), the EFGL pilot project entails the construction and operation of three 10 MW floating wind turbines. The turbines, the most powerful ever installed on a float, will cover the annual electricity needs of more than 50,000 coastal residents by capturing regular and sustained offshore winds. The farm will be operational for 20 years and will be commissioned at the end of 2023.
