Enbridge Inc. said Tuesday that the French government had selected EDF Renewables and Maple Power to develop the future Normandy offshore wind farm (Centre Manche 1), with an expected installed capacity of 1 GW.
EDF Renewables is a subsidiary of the French utility EDF Group, and Maple Power is Enbridge's joint venture with Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPP Investments),
Following the fourth offshore wind tender launched in January 2021, the French Ministry of Energy Transition chose Eoliennes en Mer Manche Normandie, the project company owned by the EDF Renewables and Maple Power consortium, to design, build, operate, and decommission the project.
"Enbridge is excited to be part of the development of France's largest offshore wind farm off the coast of Normandy, which will contribute to the French government's national strategy for carbon neutrality by 2050," said Matthew Akman, Executive Vice President, Corporate Strategy and President, Power.
"This decision further strengthens Enbridge's visible growth in offshore wind and role as a leader in the energy transition. It also comes at a crucial time as global energy challenges demonstrate that continued investment in reliable, secure, clean and affordable energy is needed."
The planned Normandy offshore wind farm will be located more than 32 km off the north coast and is expected to be commissioned around 2030.
Over the next few years, planning and permitting will be finalized, which will require minimal development expenditure leading to construction later this decade.
The fixed-bottom project is expected to supply the equivalent of the annual consumption of approximately 1.5 million people, more than half of the electricity needs of the population of Normandy, Enbridge said.
The Normandy offshore wind farm will be Enbridge, EDF Renewables and its partners' sixth offshore wind project in France.
These projects are in development, construction, and operation, including the country's first offshore wind farm off the coast of Saint-Nazaire (480 MW), which went into operation in late 2022.