France’s Multiannual Energy Programme calls for the installation of 3,000 MW of offshore wind capacity by 2023. Offshore development offers significant power generation potential given the country’s natural assets (11 million km2 of water in its jurisdiction). The highest-potential areas are concentrated off the coasts of Normandy, Brittany and Pays de la Loire. The government has launched two tenders for the construction of offshore windfarms in these areas, followed by a third launched late in 2018 for one off the coast of Dunkirk. RTE is in charge of studies and connecting these farms to the grid. The solution being considered involves creating 225 kV double-circuit lines, starting out underwater between the windfarm connected to the offshore substation and the landing point and then running underground between the landing point and the 225 kV substation where they are earthed.
The sites selected through the first call for tenders have already been the subject of consultations with local stakeholders, government services and infrastructure operators to determine the best possible path for the lines from a technical, economic and environmental standpoint. Late in 2015, public inquiries were launched for the projects in the towns that will be affected by the future Fécamp, Courseulles-sur-Mer, Saint-Nazaire and Saint-Brieuc windfarms. Production is not scheduled to start at these sites until 2021.
