French Government to Launch Tenders for Offshore Wind Projects

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources Europe (Galway, Ireland)--In an interview with RMC Radio this week, France's Environment Minister Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet confirmed that the first-stage tenders, worth €10 billion ($14.25 billion), for the development of an offshore windfarm program will be released at the end of May or early June. Candidates will have until 30 November 2011 to submit their bids, and the successful projects will be selected in May 2012.

In January 2011, President Nicolas Sarkozy announced the tenders as part of a program to develop 25,000 MW of wind power by 2020, of which 6,000 megawatts (MW) will be offshore. For related news, see January 28, 2011, article - France Begins Windfarm Race by Announcing Tenders for Five Offshore Facilities.

The offshore program is split into two stages. The first will be implemented by 2015, and the second by 2020. The first stage of the program includes the installation of 600 wind turbines with a total capacity of 3,000 MW to be put into service by 2015. The allocated sites are located in the Normandy, Brittany and Pays de la Loire regions within 5 zones, with a total area of 533 square kilometres. The zones are:

• Tréport (Seine-Maritime, Somme) - 110 square kilometres, maximum power of 750 MW

• Fecamp (Seine-Maritime) - 88 square kilometres, maximum power of 500 MW

• Courseulles-sur-Mer (Calvados) - 77 square kilometres, maximum power of 500 MW

• Saint-Brieuc (Côtes d'Armor) - 180 square kilometres, maximum power of 500 MW

• Saint-Nazaire (Loire-Atlantique) - 78 square kilometres, maximum power of 750 MW

Windfarms planned in these regions that are expected to submit bids include WPD AG's (Bremen, Germany) Fecamp and Calvados; La Compagnie Du Vent's (Montpellier, France) Les 2 Cote; Poweo SA's (Paris, France) Grand Lejon; Nass & Wind's (Lorient, France) Grand Lejon and Guerande; An Avel Braz Sas' (Paris, France) St Brieuc 2 and LeCroisic.

It is anticipated that the zones will not be split, and that only one candidate will be selected to fulfil the capacity for each zone. This does not, however, exclude companies from being awarded contracts for multiple zones.

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