Macron inaugurates France’s first offshore wind farm

Emmanuel Macron inaugurates on Thursday off Saint-Nazaire the very first park of a which he intends to accelerate the deployment.

Share:

Comprehensive energy news coverage, updated nonstop

Annual subscription

8.25$/month*

*billed annually at 99$/year for the first year then 149,00$/year ​

Unlimited access • Archives included • Professional invoice

OTHER ACCESS OPTIONS

Monthly subscription

Unlimited access • Archives included

5.2$/month*
then 14.90$ per month thereafter

FREE ACCOUNT

3 articles offered per month

FREE

*Prices are excluding VAT, which may vary depending on your location or professional status

Since 2021: 35,000 articles • 150+ analyses per week

Emmanuel Macron inaugurates on Thursday off Saint-Nazaire the very first of a series of offshore wind farms, whose deployment he intends to accelerate in the face of the energy crisis.

“This is the beginning of the road, a first step towards the massive development of renewable energy”,

With a watchword, to reinforce the “energy sovereignty” of France, in full flight of the prices of hydrocarbons and in front of the risks of shortage bound to the war in Ukraine, and to reduce the big delay of the country in the renewables with regard to its neighbors.
The Head of State will visit the site of 80 wind turbines, deployed from 12 to 20 km from the coast of Le Pouliguen and Le Croisic, by boat in the morning.

The park, operated by EDF, will be fully operational by the end of the year. It will then have a power of 480 megawatts (MW) capable of supplying 700,000 people.
Emmanuel Macron will also visit the Chantiers de l’Atlantique, in Saint-Nazaire, where the wind turbines are assembled before being installed at sea. It will specify the main lines of the bill of “acceleration of renewable energies”, which will be presented Monday in the Council of Ministers.
The text aims to shorten project completion times by simplifying administrative procedures and limiting the length of time it takes to examine appeals filed by environmentalists, fishermen and local residents.

Left hand side of the bar

Today, it takes an average of ten years for an offshore site to come on stream in France, compared to five years in Germany and six years in the UK. For onshore wind power, it’s seven years, twice as long as in Spain or Germany, and photovoltaics is not much better off. With this project, Emmanuel Macron, determined to keep a reformist course at the beginning of his second five-year term, intends to give pledges to the left and to the ecologists, while at the same time focusing on pensions and the environment.
unemployment insurance to the right. The examination of the text is however difficult in the National Assembly, in the absence of absolute majority and in front of an extreme right and certain elected representatives of right-wing wind upright against the wind. The subject had already been invited into the presidential campaign, with the RN candidate Marine Le Pen calling for a halt to projects and the gradual dismantling of existing sites. On February 10 in Belfort, Emmanuel Macron had opted for offshore wind power, with a goal of fifty farms by 2050 for a capacity of 40 gigawatts. To date, seven parks have been awarded to operators: after
In Saint-Nazaire, construction began in Saint-Brieuc, which was the object of friction with the fishermen, Courseulles-sur-Mer and Fécamp.
Subsequently, other calls for tenders were issued, including two in
Mediterranean.

In Oleron, appeals have been filed to push the project further offshore.

The head of state has, however, put the brakes on onshore wind power, with a doubling of the current capacity not over 10 but 30 years. He also announced the revival of nuclear power with the construction of six EPR2 reactors by 2035, and a tenfold increase in installed solar power by 2050.

The prefects mobilized

“The course set in Belfort is more urgent than ever since the outbreak of war in Ukraine on February 24 and in the face of the increasingly tangible damage of climate change, the Elysée insists.

Several NGOs, including France Nature Environnement (FNE), have criticized the provisions of the bill aimed at simplifying procedures. The development of renewables must be done “in compliance with public consultation procedures and environmental law”, they plead. The government finally withdrew one of the criticized articles on Wednesday.

France Energie Eolienne believes that this text can contribute, in the long term, to the installation of renewable energies in the landscape, in particular by reducing the electricity bill for people living near the wind farms, or by planning offshore wind energy by maritime facade for a longer term vision.

But to accelerate in the immediate future, the sector is counting on a recent circular asking prefects to “facilitate the processing” of files. For the last three years, onshore wind developers have seen their authorizations collapse, putting France further away from its objectives.

In a context of tense electricity supply and unavailability of part of the nuclear park, wind, solar and methanization will be until 2025 “the only means to produce megawatt hours more,” argue their representatives.

In 2021, renewables provided 24% of electricity production (hydro, wind, solar, bioenergy), nuclear 69%, and fossil fuels 7%.

A report highlights the financial burden of fossil imports during the energy crisis and points to electrification as key to European energy security.
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu announced a review of public funding for renewable energy, without changing national targets, to avoid rent-seeking effects and better regulate the use of public funds.
The 2025 edition of the Renewable Electricity System Observatory warns of the widening gap between French energy ambitions and industrial reality, requiring immediate acceleration of investments in solar, wind and associated infrastructure.
Kogi State Electricity Distribution Limited reported a ₦1.3bn ($882,011) loss due to power fraud, threatening its operational viability in Kogi State.
More than 40 developers will gather in Livingstone from 26 to 28 November to turn Southern Africa’s energy commitments into bankable and interconnected projects.
Citepa projections confirm a marked slowdown in France's climate trajectory, with emissions reductions well below targets set in the national low-carbon strategy.
The United States has threatened economic sanctions against International Maritime Organization members who approve a global carbon tax on international shipping emissions.
Global progress on electricity access slowed in 2024, with only 11 million new connections, despite targeted efforts in parts of Africa and Asia.
A parliamentary report questions the 2026 electricity pricing reform, warning of increased market exposure for households and a redistribution mechanism lacking clarity.
The US Senate has confirmed two new commissioners to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, creating a Republican majority that could reshape the regulatory approach to national energy infrastructure.
The federal government launches a CAD3mn call for proposals to fund Indigenous participation in energy and infrastructure projects related to critical minerals.
Opportunities are emerging for African countries to move from extraction to industrial manufacturing in energy technology value chains, as the 2025 G20 discussions highlight these issues.
According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), global renewable power capacity could more than double by 2030, driven by the rise of solar photovoltaics despite supply chain pressures and evolving policy frameworks.
Algeria plans to allocate $60 billion to energy projects by 2029, primarily targeting upstream oil and gas, while developing petrochemicals, renewables and unconventional resources.
China set a record for clean technology exports in August, driven by surging sales of electric vehicles and batteries, with more than half of the growth coming from non-OECD markets.
A night-time attack on Belgorod’s power grid left thousands without electricity, according to Russian local authorities, despite partial service restoration the following morning.
The French Academy of Sciences calls for a global ban on solar radiation modification, citing major risks to climate stability and the world economy.
The halt of US federal services disrupts the entire decision-making chain for energy and mining projects, with growing risks of administrative delays and missing critical data.
Facing a potential federal government shutdown, multiple US energy agencies are preparing to suspend services and furlough thousands of employees.
A report reveals the economic impact of renewable energy losses in Chile, indicating that a 1% drop in curtailments could generate $15mn in annual savings.

All the latest energy news, all the time

Annual subscription

8.25$/month*

*billed annually at 99$/year for the first year then 149,00$/year ​

Unlimited access - Archives included - Pro invoice

Monthly subscription

Unlimited access • Archives included

5.2$/month*
then 14.90$ per month thereafter

*Prices shown are exclusive of VAT, which may vary according to your location or professional status.

Since 2021: 30,000 articles - +150 analyses/week.