Off Saint-Nazaire, Emmanuel Macron visited, Thursday, September 22, the first French offshore wind farm, which must enter full service at the end of the year. Good news in the context of the energy crisis and a symbolic trip for the Head of State who has made offshore wind power one of his priorities to develop the share of renewable energies in France.
To speed up their deployment, the President of the Republic announced a new objective: to halve the construction time of wind farms, and thus go from 6 to 3 years. “We need to reduce deadlines. A few months ago, we adopted a national energy strategy, but there has never been so much concern on this subject. Times have changed “he promised.
To this end, the government is planning a bill on renewable energies which aims in particular to simplify administrative procedures. “He will be presented on September 26 in the Council of Ministers”, revealed Emmanuel Macron. Last February, he set an ambitious goal: to build 50 wind farms in France by 2050. While the first offshore wind farm is preparing to produce around 20% of the electricity consumption of the Loire- Atlantic, franceinfo returns to the complicated genesis of this project.
Because it’s the first of its kind
Spaced about 1 km apart, the 80 wind turbines of the offshore project have been installed on the rocky bank of Guérande. The site was identified in the late 2000s. Awarded to a subsidiary of EDF in 2012, it then took three years to carry out a public inquiry, then four more years for construction to begin in September 2019, explains Le Figaro. In the meantime, numerous investigations and appeals have been carried out.
The consequences for maritime species, halieutic resources, migratory or sedentary birds had to be taken into account, as well as consultations with fishing professionals and local populations. “We had to be accepted as new neighbors and integrate as best as possible into a territory that existed before us and which will survive us”says Olivier de la Laurencie, project director, in the Figaro.
“It was the first time that we were building an offshore wind farm in France.adds Nicolas Goldberg, energy specialist at Colombus Consulting, interviewed by franceinfo. Of course, it took time. At the time, even onshore wind power was in its infancy, especially in France.” The objective was also to set up a French industrial sector, which added constraints to the project leaders. “In particular, there were local employment criteria, the wind turbines also had to be assembled in a factory on site”explains Nicolas Golberg.
Because he faced resistance
The length of the construction process stems in part from the reluctance of the local population. By observing these masts culminating at 180 m high off Saint-Nazaire, some inhabitants of Loire-Altantique see above all the destruction of their horizon. “We had a natural landscape, I was told again this weekend that we now have an almost industrial landscape”laments Bruno Schmit, first deputy mayor of Batz-sur-Mer, quoted by France 3 Pays de la Loire.
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Like Batz-sur-Mer, several municipalities are therefore demanding financial compensation for the deterioration of one of their assets: the sea view. “I would like to hold the one who presented the images to us at the start of the project. The wind turbines must have been matches on the horizon. There, I can tell you that we can see them very well...“ also complained a professional sailor to the Parisian. Negotiations with fishing professionals were also difficult. The contours of the site which was to accommodate the masts have been modified several times.
Because France is late
For professionals in the sector, the lack of “global vision” of successive governments also explains the delay accumulated in the country. “France has not done a very fine job of planning its maritime facades to say: ‘I want to develop offshore wind power and this is precisely where I want to put my parks. And I am organizing a consultation for these areas. ‘”assured Michel Gioria, general delegate of France wind energy, to France 2 during the setting up of the first wind turbines in Saint-Nazaire.
As a result, France now only has a few dozen turbines at sea, compared to more than 2,000 in the United Kingdom, 1,500 in Germany and 559 in Denmark, according to figures from Windeurope dating from 2020. In the coming years, French capacity should nevertheless increase. “It’s a park that marks the beginning of a long series, recalls Michel Gloria on franceinfo. Next year, we will inaugurate Saint-Brieuc, the Fécamp park. Then it will be Courseulles-sur-Mer in 2024-2025 and Dunkirk in 2025-2026.”