French energy company Engie and Portuguese company EDPR have confirmed submitting bids in France’s call for tenders to build a offshore wind farm with a capacity of 250MW to 750MW.
The wind farm will be constructed off the coast of France near Dunkirk. Tenders for the wind farm were opened in last December and the last date for tender submissions for the pre-selection was 28 February this year.
This offshore wind project will take France a step closer to producing more than 3GW of energy from renewable resources, especially offshore wind by 2023.
According to the consortium, the key strengths of its bid lie in optimally integrating the project into the territory of Dunkirk, while taking into account environmental challenges..
With the tender submissions now closed, the Commission De Régulation De L'Energie (CRE), France’s energy regulator will now take one month to pre-select candidates and give out exact bidding conditions for Dunkirk.
Winners of the final bidding will be announced early next year and the Dunkirk wind farm is expected to be operational by 2022, reported reNEWS.
ENGIE France Renewables managing director Gwénaëlle Huet said: “With an energy mix relying more than 60% on renewable energies in France, ENGIE is a major player in the energy transition in the country.
“Already a leader in on-shore wind, we hope to show, with this bid, that we are actively contributing to the consolidation of a French offshore wind industry, whether free-standing or floating.”
EDPR CEO Joao Manso Neto said: “EDP Renewables is at the cutting edge of wind energy at the global level. Our operational capacity, our experience on different markets and under a variety of conditions, and our ability to manage the projects in which we are involved make us the ideal partner for this project.”
Previously, the consortium Engie and EDPR worked on France’s two offshore projects, Dieppe-Le Tréport and the 500MW Islands of Yeu and Noirmoutier, 500MW each.
Image: Engie and EDPR participate in France third bidding for offshore wind farm. Photo: Courtesy of Nicolas Job and Heos Marine.