RWE and Bourbon to Jointly Bid for French Floating Offshore Wind Farms

RWE Renewables France and Bourbon Subsea Services have signed a partnership agreement to jointly bid for the French Mediterranean floating offshore wind project under the A06 tender.

The respective announcement by the French Government is expected to happen during the coming weeks, said the partners.

Under the A06 tender, two sites for floating offshore wind will be developed, each with a planned installed capacity of about 250 MW with potential extensions leading to a total capacity of 1.5 GW.

Both companies will bring complementary capabilities and expertise to this partnership while securing continuity in the employment of local industry and resources, according to the partners.

“Our partnership with Bourbon Subsea Services, a market leader in the installation of floating offshore wind farms, supports RWE’s ambition to grow our floating offshore wind portfolio in the French Mediterranean. Combining our strengths and expertise, we look forward to working with BOURBON to advance the floating offshore wind industry, hand in hand with the communities we are both actively engaged with”, said Pierre Peysson, Director Offshore France at RWE Renewables France.

A few months ago, France launched a competitive tendering procedure for developing two floating offshore wind farms in the Mediterranean Sea.

This call for tenders was launched by French Prime Minister Jean Castex on 14 March, a month after French President Emmanuel Macron announced a target of 40 GW of offshore wind power by 2050.

The winners will be selected in 2023 and the two wind farms are expected to be commissioned in 2030.

In total, France plans to spend up to EUR 300 million to support the development of the floating offshore wind industry as part of the France 2030 initiative.

RWE has qualified to participate in the offshore auction AO4, also known as La Manche, together with TotalEnergies as a partner for a site off the coast of Normandy and in the AO5 auction, for the first French commercial floating offshore wind project which will be located off the coast of South Brittany.

The country also has four demonstrator floating wind farms under development, three of which are scheduled to come online in the Mediterranean by 2024.

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