French Port Reveals Floating Wind Plans

February 6, 2024, by Adrijana Buljan

The shareholders of the Port of Brest in France, including the Brittany Region, Brest Métropole and the Western Brittany Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCIMBO), have signed an agreement that will see EUR 900 million invested in developments heavily focusing on the energy transition, including establishing the port as a major player in floating wind.

Under the agreement, a 40-year concession has been granted to the Brest Port Authority (BrestPort) to manage the commercial port’s operations in a way that revolves around five focus areas, with offshore renewable energy in the centre.

Of the EUR 900 million to be invested in the Port of Brest over the next 40 years, EUR 500 million will be poured into its development over the first ten years.

Among other projects, the investment will support enabling the Brest polder to support the national ambitions in offshore wind, especially in floating wind.

“The Port of Brest will focus on the production of floaters, with several dozen hectares available on the industrial terminal, while the Port of Lorient, close to the future wind farm sites in southern Brittany, will provide special services (preparing the final cable links, mooring lines and a maintenance base),” Bretagne Ocean Power said in a press release.

Investments will also be made into developing port services for key industrial and logistics players involved in maritime, energy and green transitions, as well as a move towards decarbonisation, including the use of lower-carbon fuels, self-produced solar power, electrified docks, etc.

The Port of Brest is already serving offshore wind, having supported the construction of the Saint-Brieuc offshore wind farm and has also been chosen as the assembly site for the wind turbines that will be installed at the Dieppe Le Tréport offshore wind farm.