France reveals plans for a floating wind future

A 150m tall wind turbine with a power generation capacity of 15MW will be placed on a 52m² steel floating platform, held up by a pyramid-type structure of four supports installed at each corner.

The pyramid structure, says designer Eolink, is a patented design that aligns with the direction of the wind, ‘like a boat at anchor’.

The company says its floating wind turbines are ‘more economical, more efficient, and easier to manufacture’ than those already on the market.

It believes its wind farms will have demonstrated the technology’s commercial viability before 2026 and at a cost of just €35/Mwh.

“The market is expected to grow by 24% over the next 20 years (CAGR),” says Eolink. “Pilot farms and commercial tenders are already under way.”

The floating technology is part of France’s ‘France Atlantique’ project, which is forming from the port of Brest off the coast of Le Croisic.

The steel float and superstructures of the turbine will be assembled on the four-hectare Brest polder – a piece of low-lying land reclaimed from the sea and protected by breakwaters – that was begun in 2017.

The Bouynes Group built the polder, which can handle loads of up 2,000 tonnes, and a new 210m new quay.

Major ambitions

Eolink is thinking big, but it is doing it step by step.

The first target is 10 x 13MW units by 2026.

By 2028, it says its turbines will have generating capacity of 15MW, so that a 250MW wind farm would only need 17 of them.

By 2030, Eolink says it will have reached an industrial delivery capacity of 1GW per year at a price per megawatt hour of €35.

“Representing a market of at least €4.5 billion per year between 2020 and 2030, floating wind turbines are expected to offer machines at €2 million/MW by 2030,” Eolink says.

“These wind turbines will produce two times more energy than those installed on land and five times more than solar panels. By installing 25GW between 2025 and 2050 om 1% of its metropolitan area, France could meet 25% of its electricity consumption. This requires the installation of 1GW per year, ie 67 turbines of 15MW, and 224,000 tonnes of steel.

“This opportunity offers a new sustainable future for one or two shipyards, while employing at least 5,000 people across the entire value chain.”

“The France Atlantique project is part of the France 2030 plan and is part of a context where the French State is strengthening its ambitions for offshore wind with a target of 50 offshore wind farms by 2050,” says Bretagne Ocean Power. “The Atlantic coast plays a key role in achieving this goal.”