France’s first commercial-scale offshore wind project, the 480 megawatt (MW) Saint-Nazaire Offshore Wind Farm, is now fully up and running.
Eolien Maritime France (EMF), a consortium of EDF Renewables, Enbridge, and the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, developed and owns the Saint-Nazaire offshore wind farm.
As Electrek previously reported, installation of all 80 GE Haliade 150-6 MW offshore wind turbines were completed in September.
France’s first wind farm, which is off the southwestern coast of France, will produce the equivalent of 20% of the department of Loire-Atlantique’s annual electricity consumption. It will supply the equivalent of enough electricity for 700,000 people annually.
The wind farm first produced electricity at the beginning of June, and its turbines were gradually connected to the grid. Around 100 people will continue employment in La Turballe to operate and main the wind farm. Around 2,300 people worked on the offshore wind farm during the construction phase.
Bruno Bensasson, chairman and CEO of EDF Renewables, said:
This first wind farm is part of the EDF Group’s strategy to double its net capacity of global renewable energy to reach 60 GW in 2030. We are also participating in the National Low-Carbon Strategy of the government, which aims to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 through energy conservation, nuclear power, and the acceleration of renewables.
Read more: Final turbine installed on France’s first offshore wind farm, with Macron pushing hard on renewables
The French government aims to generate 32% of its energy from renewable sources by 2030.
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