Shell and Partners Cancel Floating Wind Project Offshore France

November 16, 2022, by Adnan Durakovic

Energy giant Shell, China’s China General Nuclear Power Group (CGN) and France’s Caisse des dépôts et consignations (CDC) have cancelled a project to build a demonstrator floating wind farm offshore France, according to local media reports.

Shell has cited ”technical, commercial and financial challenges” in the execution of the project as the main reasons for the decision to cancel the EUR 300 million, 28.5 MW Groix & Belle-Île pilot wind farm, Le Parisien reports.

”The economic conditions linked to the project have been significantly modified, calling into question, for all the partners of the consortium, the economic viability of the project,” Shell was quoted as saying in a statement.

Constantly increasing costs, inflation, and supply chain issues were identified by Shell as the main drivers behind the project no longer being deemed viable.

OffshoreWIND.biz has reached out to Shell France for a comment.

Shell joined the Groix & Belle-Île project through the acquisition of the French floating offshore wind developer EOLFI back in 2019.

The wind farm would have comprised three Vestas 9.5 MW turbines installed on semi-submersible floats about 22 kilometres off the French coast.

Groix & Belle-Île was one of the four demonstrator floating wind projects approved for development by the French government and the EU back in early 2019.