France awards 1.5-GW Normandy offshore wind to TotalEnergies and RWE

TotalEnergies has been selected by France to design, build, and operate the 1.5-GW Normandy offshore wind project called “Centre Manche 2”. The tender represents the largest investment in the energy sector for the company in over thirty years. France, along with the rest of the world, is feeling the long-lasting effects of global inflation, which has raised prices in various sectors. The company has stated that the project has the potential to provide employment for thousands of people in the region while delivering reliable electricity to millions in Europe.

France has committed to the renewable energy sector for the foreseeable future

France is among the largest electricity consumers in Europe, and requires several types of energy creation to provide electricity to its exceedingly difficult to please public. The French do not tolerate any nonsensical projects or policies from their government. When the government introduced automated tollgates on the nation’s highways, the public took it upon itself to take to the streets and burn every single one of the gantries down to the ground.

Having said that, the populace understands the need for the government to work with large-scale energy producers, despite how the country’s environmentalists may feel. The people of France can take solace in the fact that their government is not only approving energy projects at an impressive rate, but that those projects keep the state of the environment in mind.

The French government has announced that a consortium of companies, led by TotalEnergies and RWE, has been selected to design, build, and operate the new offshore wind project in Normandy. The project will be located roughly 40 miles from the coast of Normandy and will provide enough electricity to power over one million French households for €66/MWh($77/MWh).

The Normandy offshore wind project will promote European-made products and goods

TotalEnergies has stated that it will place a high priority on procuring European-made wind turbines and electrical cables, further strengthening the working relationship between France and the rest of the Union. The company reported that over 2,500 jobs will be created during the construction phase alone. And students will be able to partake in the design and operating processes, with 500,000 work hours for apprentices and individuals in professional reintegration programs.

TotalEnergies will not leave the Normandy residents behind, though; they have plans to establish a team to engage with local residents to ensure the project gets off the ground smoothly and maintains the interests of the people who live there. They have also made some serious environmental commitments; they note that €45 million has been set aside to mitigate the impact on the environment, as well as €15 million for a biodiversity promotion fund.

Along with those impressive commitments, TotalEnergies will also commit to a recycling rate of 95% for blades, towers, and nacelles, and 100% for generator magnets. France has made a serious commitment to the wind energy sector, which has been unsuccessfully replicated by Germany, which saw zero bids on an offshore wind project recently. TotalEnergies released a statement regarding the selection by the French government.

“The project will represent a total investment of around €4.5 billion, the largest undertaken by TotalEnergies in France in the past 30 years. Up to 2,500 people will be employed during the three-year construction phase.” – TotalEnergies statement

TotalEnergies might have a new partner for the offshore wind project in Normandy

RWE, a German energy giant, has stated its plans to exit the consortium with TotalEnergies, which would open the door for a new utility to step in to take the reins. The nations in Europe have embraced the potential that wind power presents, with several countries expressing interest in long-term projects that will alleviate the pressure on their grids. The renewable energy sector is growing at an exceedingly fast rate, particularly in countries that require vast amounts of energy capacity.

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