The French government has selected Energies du Méridien, a new offshore wind consortium comprising Corio Generation and Qair, to take part in upcoming offshore wind project tenders totaling about 2.5 GW.
French Directorate General for Energy and Climate has shortlisted the consortium for two fixed-bottom offshore wind tenders that were launched in parallel in December 2022.
The tenders are for the AO7 site off the Ile d'Oléron coast, reserved for an installed capacity of about 1,000 MW, as well as the AO8 site off the Normandy coast representing about 1,500 MW. Ile d'Oléron is an island located off the west coast of France, in the Bay of Biscay, Atlantic Ocean.
"The Energies du Méridien consortium has been formed to support the acceleration of France’s offshore wind and maritime energy industries. The consortium aims to develop innovative new offshore wind farms and invest in local supply chains and port infrastructure. This will help France meet its net zero by 2050 goal, while creating employment opportunities for local communities," Corio said Monday.
Mark Giulianotti, Head of Europe of Corio Generation, said: “We’re proud to be selected by the French government to compete in these two important fixed-bottom offshore wind tenders. These projects, once built, will play a vital role in helping France meet its net zero commitments, including a goal of delivering 40 GW from offshore wind by 2050.
“Energies du Méridien combines Corio’s unmatched global offshore wind expertise and access to capital with Qair’s longstanding experience in renewable energy development and roots in the French market. Together, we have the world-class capabilities to ensure that France can take full advantage of the green industrial revolution and deploy next-generation offshore wind at scale.”
Guirec Dufour, Managing Director of Qair France, said: “We are delighted to be working with Corio Generation again on these two tenders. This association continues to demonstrate the complementarity of our skills and our shared commitment to the energy transition in France.
“This confirms Qair Group’s offshore strategy initiated in 2016 around the Eolmed pilot project and already recognized in its commercial deployment with the award of 2 GW in Scotland. We are convinced that Energies du Méridien’s competitive offer will bring a new robust foundation to the emerging edifice of a French offshore wind industry.”
This is the second consortium Corio and Qair have formed for French offshore wind tenders.
Corio and Qair have also joined forces with TotalEnergies to create the floating offshore wind-focused AEM consortium, which was selected in August 2022 to participate in two ongoing tenders to develop sites AO5 in Brittany and AO6 in the Mediterranean Sea.
In its announcement of 27 March 2023, the French government confirmed the allocation of the two offshore wind projects for AO7 and AO8 will take place at the beginning of 2024, with commissioning scheduled for 2032, Corio said.