EDF consortium wins floating wind tender

The project company Eoliennes Méditerranée Grand Large, owned by the EDF Renewables and Maple Power consortium, will work in tandem with another consortium, Ocean Winds and Banque des Territoires, although exactly how the parties are organised is slightly unclear.

BW Ideol is the technology partner for the consortia. Its Damping Pool mechanism, devised for floating wind installations, comprises a central opening in the foundation (the damping pool), which interacts with surrounding waters to balance the impact of waves, thereby stabilising the platform.

BW Ideol says this makes it suitable for most metocean conditions and that it is ’compatible with all 15 MW+ wind turbines currently available’.

The technology has proved itself with Floatgen, another French floating wind project, which was extended by five years after its generating success.

“We are extremely proud to be the technology partner of the winning consortium led by EDF Renewables and Maple Power,” said Paul de la Guérivière, CEO of BW Ideol. “These past years of collaborative work have allowed us to closely optimise the design of floating foundations, as well as establish a robust industrial manufacturing plan that strikes the right balance between competitiveness and risk management.

“This result demonstrates that BW Ideol’s technology, one of the few proven at sea under real-world conditions for over five years, is a winning solution for floating wind farm developers. Our ability to anticipate a credible and local industrial plan for our concrete floaters at an optimised cost represents a unique advantage.”

The project will be built about 25km off the French Mediterranean coast near Fos-sur-Mer.