After decades as a nuclear powerhouse, France makes its play in offshore wind

After decades as a nuclear powerhouse, France makes its play in offshore wind


This image, from Sept. 2022, shows French President Emmanuel Macron speaking with workers on board a boat during a visit to the Saint-Nazaire Offshore Wind Farm.

Stephane Mahe | AFP | Getty Images

A facility described as “France’s first commercial-scale offshore wind project” is fully operational, multinational utility EDF said this week.

The news represents a significant step forward for the country’s offshore wind sector, with more projects set to come online in the years ahead.

In a statement Wednesday, EDF said the 480-megawatt Saint-Nazaire Offshore Wind Farm would help to “support the French State’s energy transition goals, which include targets to generate 32% of its energy from renewable sources by 2030.” EDF’s majority shareholder is the French state.

Located in waters off the south west coast of France, the Saint-Nazaire project consists of 80 turbines. Its first electricity was generated in June 2022.

Looking ahead, EDF said the wind farm would “supply the equivalent of the consumption of 700,000 people with electricity every year.”

Read more about energy from CNBC Pro

While the Saint-Nazaire project represents a significant shot in the arm for France’s nascent offshore wind sector, the country has for decades been something of a powerhouse when it comes to nuclear.

According to the World Nuclear Association, France is home to 56 operable reactors. “France derives about 70% of its electricity from nuclear energy,” it adds.

In wind power, the country has an established onshore sector. Its offshore industry is by contrast miniscule, with a cumulative capacity of just 2 MW in 2021, according to figures from industry body WindEurope.

This is set to change in the coming years. “Offshore installations are finally set to take off as of 2022, and we expect 3.3 GW of offshore wind installations from now until 2026,” WindEurope’s Wind Energy in Europe report, which was published in Feb. 2022, said.

In a statement, EDF Renewables’ CEO Bruno Bensasson expressed pride in commissioning what he called “France’s first industrial offshore wind farm.”

“Over the past 10 years, this project has contributed to the construction of the offshore wind power industry in France and has mobilized a significant number of jobs during construction and now in the operating phase,” he later added.



Source

Space startup Varda raises 7 million in funding to make drugs in orbit
Business

Space startup Varda raises $187 million in funding to make drugs in orbit

Pavlo Gonchar | Lightrocket | Getty Images Space startup Varda announced on Thursday that it has raised $187 million in Series C funding, led by venture capital firms Natural Capital and Shrug Capital, to continue advancing drug manufacturing in space. The latest round included participation from Peter Thiel, Lux Capital, Khosla Ventures and Caffeinated Capital. […]

Read More
How family offices are betting on the sports boom from fantasy apps to pickleball courts
Business

How family offices are betting on the sports boom from fantasy apps to pickleball courts

Key Points A third of investment firms of the ultra-rich have invested in sports, according to a new family office survey by BNY Mellon. While billionaire sports-team buyouts get the headlines, family offices are increasingly investing in adjacent assets like live-viewing venues and betting apps. Here’s how the family offices of ultra-rich sports team owners […]

Read More
Delta’s summer travel outlook tops estimates as CEO says high-end demand is holding up
Business

Delta’s summer travel outlook tops estimates as CEO says high-end demand is holding up

A Boeing 767-332(ER) from Delta Air Lines takes off from Barcelona El Prat Airport in Barcelona on Oct. 8, 2024. Joan Valls | Nurphoto | Getty Images Delta Air Lines trimmed its 2025 profit forecast as it deals with lower-than-expected demand this year and the industry manages a glut of flights, but the carrier’s outlook […]

Read More