Renewable marine energy

With more than 5,000 km of coast, a third of which is in Brittany, France has the 2 highest potential for producing renewable marine energy in Europe. This resource includes wind power and hydropower. Electricity production by the use of floating wind turbines represents an installation potential of 1 to 4 GW in Europe by 2030. Floating wind turbines is a real opportunity for development in a national industrial sector set up in the regions and which is mainly destined for export markets.

The South Brittany project, consists in installing 4 high power wind turbines (6 MW each), between the islands of Groix and Belle-Ile where the sea is 70 metres deep,  on floating foundations specially designed for ocean conditions. The four wind turbines in the pilot wind farm will be located 13 km to the south of the Island of Groix. This location was chosen because it is a site which represents complex maritime conditions and which allows good cohabitation with fishing and boating practices.

The company managing the project “Les éoliennes flottantes de Groix et Belle-Ile (The Groix and Belle-Ile wind turbines)”, controlled by EOLFI and CGN Energy Europe, won the State’s call for projects for the development of the pilot floating wind turbines on 22 July 2016.

RTE, the manager of the electricity transport network was made responsible for connecting this installation to the mainland.

Naval Group is involved in this project with respect to the development of the floating foundations on the future wind turbines.

The pilot floating wind farm project is a major challenge for the development of an industrial sector in Brittany and in the Pays de Lorient area.

The Lorient port network is working with the project sponsors to offer all the skills required in this type of programme (storage, base camp, maintenance, logistics, etc.)