GDF Tipped to Win French Offshore Contracts

---

Written by Martin Lynch, European News Editor for Industrial Info (Galway, Ireland) - A consortium led by GDF Suez SA (EPA:GSZ) (Paris, France) has been tipped as the favourite to win a number of government offshore wind contracts in France worth billions of euro.

The country's energy regulator, Commission for Energy Regulation (CRE), has officially recommended that a consortium of GDF, Areva S.A. (ENX:CEI) (Paris, France), EDP Renewables (Lisbon, Portugal) and Neoen Marine (Paris) be awarded the development contracts for two windfarms with a combined generating capacity of 1,000 megawatts (MW). The government is not bound to choosing the GDF consortium and could instead opt to go with the rival consortium led by EDF Energies Nouvelles (EDF EN), the renewable division of French energy giant Electricite de France (EPA:EDF) (Paris), which has already been successful in securing first-round offshore tenders. GDF has declined to comment on CRE's recommendation.

The GDF consortium is bidding to install and operate a 500 MW windfarm in the Le Tréport (Haute-Normandie) area and another 500 MW windfarm in the vicinity of the islands of Yeu and Noirmoutier in the Pays-de-la-Loire region of France's Atlantic coast. The zones measure 68 square miles (176 square kilometers) and 50 square miles (130 square kilometers) respectively. GDF will use Areva's proposed 8 MW turbine. Both windfarms will be capable of generating enough electricity for around 1.6 million homes. The government believes that the new tenders will result in almost €3.5 billion ($4.5 billion) in investment and create around 10,000 jobs during construction.

France has no offshore windfarms at present but that will change in the coming years as the country's President, Francois Hollande, has declared his intention to drastically reduce France's reliance on nuclear power from 75% to 50% by closing 24 plants in the next 12 years.

Two years ago, the consortium, led by EDF Energies Nouvelles, was the runaway winner in the first French offshore tender, securing three of the four projects awarded by France's Ministry of Industry. It was awarded the Fecamp, Courseulles-sur-Mer and Saint-Nazaire projects. For additional information, see April 12, 2012, article - EDF Wins Majority of French Offshore Projects.

View Project Report - 300018541 300018013 300018436 300018367

Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, three offices in North America and nine international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Industrial Info's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle™, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities. To contact an office in your area, visit the Industrial Info "Contact Us" page.