The connection of the electric export cable and a final series of tests carried out in recent days have allowed the wind turbine Floatgen (...) to finally come into full production. In addition, Ideol will be installing a second unit in the coming days off Japan.
Begun in 2013, the project brings together seven European partners including Ideol, who designed the entire floating system and supplied the wind turbine, the Ecole Centrale de Nantes which runs the experimental site, and Bouygues Travaux Publics which built the floating foundation. It is supported by the European Union, Ademe and Pays de la Loire region.
This announcement is the starting point for a succession deployment of offshore wind turbines and represents a unique opportunity for France to become world leader in floating wind turbines.
This first marine wind turbine in France, modest in size compared to those who will succeed, has the distinction of being floating.
Equipped with a two-megawatt turbine, it rests on a square and yellow float, anchored to the seabed by nylon cables, a synthetic fiber elastic and non-corrosive.
Installed in the experimental site of the Ecole Centrale Nantes SEM-REV, it will distribute electricity to the equivalent of 5,000 inhabitants, the size of the city of Croisic and its surroundings.
Installed at a depth of 33 meters, this first floating wind turbine prefigures the installation over the next few years of pilot and then commercial floating wind farms.
Four pilot parks are currently under development in France as part of the energy transition. Three are planned in the Mediterranean and one in Brittany, off Groix.
The sector is waiting for a first commercial bidding, promised under the presidency of François Hollande.