After lengthy public debates, France confirmed its intention to launch a tender for a 1GW wind farm off the coast of Normandy at the end of this year, with the result expected only in 2022.

To avoid further conflicts with competing interests at sea, what will be the eighth French offshore wind farm when operational will be built further away from shore than earlier arrays at about 32km to 40km from the coast and outside French territorial waters.

“The development of offshore wind power is a great societal project that cannot be decided in a Parisian office,” said French minister of the sea, Annick Girardin.

The country’s minister of ecological transition, Barbara Pompili, added that as offshore wind deployment must be done in full consultation with the regions concerned the government had organised an unprecedented public debate very early on in the project, even before an installation area was defined – and heard the strong expectations of resident, local economic players and civil society.

“This is why I decided that the future offshore wind farm would be installed more than 40 km from the coast, in an area to minimise the impact on our landscape, our fishing activities, maritime traffic and the marine environment."

Saint Brieuc conflict

The added caution and concern for local interests comes as French fishermen have threatened to prevent the upcoming construction of a nearby offshore wind project, the 496MW Saint Brieuc array off Brittany, saying they would rather die fighting the project than see it built.

While the conflict with local fishermen is ongoing, Saint Brieuc took another hurdle as the French Council of State last week rejected a last legal appeal against the wind farm, with no further recourse possible in the French legal system.

There is still an appeal ongoing at the European Court of Justice against the validation of state aid by the European Commission, but its outcome cannot suspend construction which is slated to start in the spring.

Saint Brieuc, which is being built by a consortium of EDF Renewables, Wpd and Enbridge, will be located at 13-22 kms from shore, much closer than the planned Normandy array.

One year of debate

The French wind energy association (FEE) welcomed news that the next tender will finally be launched.

"We are very glad that the government has confirmed its intention to launch the tender after almost one year of public debate that concluded to a massive interest for offshore wind projects," FEE offshore wind specialist and deputy CEO Matthieu Monnier told Recharge.

"Consequently it will be important to pursue the dynamic on the maritime facade [region] and to limit delays for the future tenders, especially the one that is supposed to be awarded in 2023 according to the PPE [multi-year energy plan]."

Two dozen politicians - including former Prime Minister and Mayor of the port town of Le Havre Edouard Philippe - and representatives from the Normandy region 10 days ago had asked Pompili to finally advance the planned future tenders.

France’s offshore wind sector was slow to take off after first tenders for bottom-fixed arrays such as Saint Brieuc were held in 2012 and 2014, as projects were delayed by lengthy permitting snags and court cases that mean none of the nation's first commercial projects has yet been completed.

In a second wave of tenders, an auction of a 600MW array off Dunkirk was held last year, to be followed by the 1GW Normandy tender. Subsequent rounds for 250MW floating wind off Brittany are planned to be launched in 2021 of Brittany, and two more in 2022 in the Mediterranean Sea.

UPDATED with comment from the wind sector

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‘Offshore wind development can't be decided in a Parisian office’: France set for new tender