Offshore wind: the government will launch a huge call for tenders in 2025, announces Macron

The government will launch a huge call for tenders in 2025 for the installation of offshore wind farms with the aim of producing 10 gigawatts in 2035, Emmanuel Macron announced Tuesday during the maritime economy conference in Nantes. “In 2025, we will already launch ten gigawatts, that is to say around ten parks which will come into force in 2030-2035,” declared the head of state. A production of 10 GW is equivalent to the annual electricity consumption of 10 million homes.

France currently has 8 GW of offshore parks installed or planned. The objective is to reach 45 GW in 2050, which will make offshore wind the second source of electricity production after nuclear power. “So we will already have visibility”, “this is the first step” with 18 gigawatts installed in “2035”, “and then the rest until 2050”, said Emmanuel Macron.

He mentioned in particular “nearly 200 million euros” of investments so that France “is one of the leaders in floating wind power”. The president affirmed that offshore wind power would generate “thousands of jobs” during construction, and bring in 2.5 billion euros in revenue “between 2023 and 2035”, which will “finance our priorities”. “A third will go for fishing and so I say it for our fishermen: offshore wind power will allow us to finance 700 million euros for fishing,” he argued.

He also mentioned the rapid launch, at Cape de la Hague, in the English Channel, of a “pilot project to try to restart the battle for tidal energy”, “with unprecedented support from the State of 65 million 'euros'. Tidal energy involves using ocean currents to produce energy. Faced with recurring controversies over wind power, which is often criticized, he said he was banking on the public debate launched by the authorities. “We put all the cards on the table and, sorry to say it like that, but we argue once and for all, in a frank manner, and we avoid doing it after five or ten years of projects. »

Emmanuel Macron finally insisted on avoiding importing wind turbines produced from “the other side of the world”, particularly in China and Asia, in the name of “industrial sovereignty”. “We need to be able to develop offshore wind power, fixed or floating, which can be produced here. There is a good rule, a good way to do this, is to take into account environmental and “security” criteria, “data control and cyber,” he said. “We are going to apply these criteria to the entire wind power sector.”