France Pinpoints Location of Floating Offshore Wind Farms in the Mediterranean Sea

November 23, 2023, by Adnan Memija

The French Government has specified the location of two floating wind projects, around 250 MW each, and their subsequent extensions in the Mediterranean Sea.

The two sets of projects of around 750 MW each, which should include a maximum of around 50 wind turbines, will be located within zones 1 and 2.

In zone 1 off the Narbonne coast, the first project of around 250 MW will be located more than 25 kilometres from the coast and will be allocated an area of 48 square kilometres. Its extension of approximately 500 MW will be located more than 30 kilometres from the coast of Aude, for an allocated area of 96 square kilometres.

In zone 2 off the Gulf of Fos, the first project of about 250 MW will be located more than 25 kilometres from the coast and will be allocated an area of 52 square kilometres. Its extension of nearly 500 MW will be located behind it, for an allocated area of 103 square kilometres.

These zones will be included in the specifications of the current competitive bidding procedure aimed at awarding the first two projects of approximately 250 MW by summer 2024.

These specifications will be submitted to the opinion of the Energy Regulatory Commission in the coming weeks before being notified to the candidates who will have nearly four months to prepare their offers, according to the Ministry of Energy Transition.

The wind developers who will be selected following the competitive procedure will have to obtain the environmental authorizations necessary for the construction and operation of the floating offshore wind farms.

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They will have to take into account the results of the initial environmental status campaigns which are currently being carried out in zones 1 and 2 and the results of the programme campaigns on avifauna, in progress since 2021.

The commissioning of the first two floating wind farms of around 250 MW is planned for 2031.

The selection of locations was announced by Christophe Béchu, Minister of Ecological Transition and Territorial Cohesion, Agnès Pannier-Runacher, Minister of Energy Transition, and Hervé Berville, Secretary of State for the Sea.

France intends to accelerate the development of offshore wind power in order to build 50 offshore wind farms by 2050, representing 40 GW of total capacity and nearly 20 per cent of electricity consumption in France.