Major facts in this press release:
- wpd offshore and EDF EN join forces to answer the second French tender
- The IPP (Independent Power Producer) wpd offshore and the utility EDF EN have already cooperated for the first tender on the areas of Courseulles-sur-Mer and Fécamp
- Alstom is the exclusive industrial partner and will supply a French wind turbine
wpd offshore and EDF EN won together the first tender, launched by the French Government in 2011, for the areas of Courseulles-sur-Mer and Fécamp. Driven by this success, the two companies decided to join forces again to answer the new invitation to tender on the areas of Le Tréport and Yeu and Noirmoutier Islands, launched by the French Government in March 2013. Alstom is still the exclusive industrial partner of the Consortium and will supply – in case of winning – the French wind turbine « HaliadeTM 150 – 6MW » with a capacity of 6MW.
wpd offshore will provide its experience obtained in North Europe with the achievement – in process – of a wind farm of 80 turbines located off the coast of Butendiek (Germany). wpd offshore confirms its interest in the French market, which is promising, considering the length of the coastline and the favorable weather conditions. The target date to answer the tender is 29th November 2013 and results should be announced beginning 2014.
Interview of Vincent Balès, General Manager of wpd offshore France:
What will be the tasks of wpd offshore in the Consortium?
“We have two major tasks in the Consortium: on one hand we are investor, on the other we offer our offshore expertise thanks to our experience and skills gained in our European projects. We will carry on our work on technical and environmental studies began since several years off the French coasts. We have a special focus on the project of “Deux Îles” (Yeu and Noirmoutier Islands area), which we are developing since 2007. If we succeed, we will have to confirm the technical studies: the detailed site conditions (technical and environmental) and the engineering of all the components of the future wind farms (foundations, electrical substation, cabling …).”
What is the meaning of such announcement in the development of wpd?
“It happens at a key moment of our history, right after the financing of Butendiek offshore wind farm. We are the leader of this major project located in Germany, equal in capacity (80 wind turbines) to the areas of Fécamp, Courseulles-sur-Mer and each of the two zones announced in the second tender. The development of French projects will benefit from this experience. For wpd offshore this announcement confirms the quality and know-how of the team and the strength of the relationship with two major companies: EDF EN and Alstom.”
Next step?
“We will work on our offer with the target of 29th November. With our associate EDF EN, we will achieve the additional studies to submit the best technical and economical project, consistent with the territory. The award will be announced by the French Government beginning of next year.”
About wpd
wpd is a developer and operator of wind farms with activities in 20 countries in Europe and overseas. So far, wind farms with some 1,500 turbines and a total output of 2.5 GW have been implemented by wpd group and international projects with a further 6.7 GW onshore are under development. With a pipeline of 10 GW, wpd is among Europe’s leading developers for offshore wind farms. One of the first commercial offshore wind farms, Baltic 1, has been developed by wpd and implemented by EnBW in 2010. wpd is developing offshore projects in Germany, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, France and Italy.
