OREANDA-NEWS. GDF SUEZ and EDP Renewables recently signed an agreement with Neoen Marine with a view to submitting a joint response to the public tender for offshore wind power generation1. The consortium is made up of GDF SUEZ (47%), EDP Renewables (43%), and Neoen Marine (10%).

Neoen Marine is a subsidiary of the Neoen Group (80% stake), which has operating and construction assets totaling 200 MW, and the Caisse des Depots (20%), and specializes in offshore renewable energy. Since it was founded in 2008, the company has invested more than €6 million in development projects along France’s coastline, from the Mediterranean and the Atlantic to the English Channel and the North Sea. The company’s technical and environmental expertise enabled it to join forces with its partners in one of the consortiums selected for the first public tender for offshore wind power launched by the French government in 2011, for the Saint-Brieuc region.

Neoen Marine will provide the consortium with its recognized experience as a developer in the Yeu-Noirmoutier region and its local knowledge, including detailed analysis of the coastline, current usage, and technical aspects. With the support of Caisse des Depots, one of its shareholders, Neoen Marine will also strengthen the territorial anchorage already laid down by the consortium. For their part, GDF SUEZ and EDP Renewables possess a strong expertise in renewable energy (36,000 MW of operating assets and close to 7,000 MW in construction assets worldwide), large-scale industrial projects, and offshore work. With regard to offshore wind power, they are involved in 19 projects representing a total power output of over 5,000 MW.

GDF SUEZ, EDP Renewables and Neoen Marine are looking to actively contribute to the development of offshore wind energy in France and the structuring of an industrial sector, which will create jobs and training opportunities. The partners aim to propose high performance, exemplary projects, developed in partnership with local stakeholders. These projects also include support for professional fishermen and concrete solutions in terms of respect for the local environment and maritime safety.

The consortium will also rely on an industrial partnership with AREVA as regards the design and the construction of off-shore wind turbines. AREVA has unique track record in this activity thanks to the operation of wind turbines in the offshore field Alpha Ventus in the North Sea since 2009 and thanks to the on-going deployment of 600 MW offshore projects.

1The tender relates to the installation of 1,000 MW of wind turbines off the French coast near Le Treport (Haute-Normandie - 500 MW) and the islands of Yeu and Noirmoutier (Pays de la Loire - 500 MW) by 2020. The offers will be assessed by the French government based on technical, financial, industrial, social and environmental criteria. They must be submitted to the French Regulatory Commission of Energy (CRE) by November 29, and a governmental decision is expected in 2014.