Ocean Winds has announced the completion of the assembly of the first floating wind turbine of the Éoliennes Flottantes du Golfe du Lion (EFGL) project, developed in partnership with Banque des Territoires. This milestone marks the operational launch of the first of three offshore wind farms currently under construction by the company in France.
A 10 MW turbine assembled at Port-La Nouvelle
The installed turbine is a 10-megawatt model supplied by Vestas, making it the most powerful ever assembled in France. It was mounted on a floating foundation at the dedicated wind terminal, an infrastructure developed by the Occitanie Region at Port-La Nouvelle. The site, managed by the local public company SEMOP Port-La Nouvelle, plays a central logistical role in the project.
Two additional turbines will be assembled in the coming weeks before being towed approximately 16 kilometres offshore from Leucate and Barcarès, where they will be installed at sea. The EFGL project, designed as a demonstration farm, aims to provide data on the technical, logistical and operational performance of floating wind energy in the Mediterranean.
Demonstration objective for the floating sector
The EFGL project is jointly owned by Ocean Winds—a joint venture between EDP Renewables and ENGIE—and Banque des Territoires. Its aim is to prepare the industrial and technological conditions required for the deployment of larger-scale wind farms, such as the 250-megawatt EFLO (Éoliennes Flottantes d’Occitanie) project, which was also awarded to Ocean Winds and is currently under initial development.
Marc Hirt, Ocean Winds’ France Managing Director, stated that this step “reflects the ambition driving the development of offshore wind in France.” He added that the success of this operation was made possible through the involvement of industrial partners and local teams.
A strategic market for Ocean Winds
France represents a priority development axis for Ocean Winds, with four offshore wind projects currently under construction or in development, representing a total capacity of 1.3 gigawatts. Among them is the EMYN wind farm on the Atlantic coast, where the first turbine was recently installed, strengthening the company’s presence in the domestic market.
Jérémy de Barbarin, EFGL Project Director, highlighted the technical complexity of the operation, stating that “bringing together and coordinating such a complex assembly operation in a port environment, on floating foundations, represents a technical and logistical success for all parties involved.”
