FOWT 2025 - Floating Offshore Wind Turbines

• Location: Brittany, Atlantic Ocean
• Project size: $1b project awarded for 250MW FOW

• Location: Mediterranean Sea (France)
• Project size: 2 FOW projects of $1b each (2x250MW)
• FiT: Ocean Winds project awarded at $9.3 cents per kWh (no subsidy)
•       EDF-R project awarded at $9.0 cents per kWh (no subsidy)
• Average CAPEX is $3.94m per MW.
• Average OPEX is $74k per MW per year.

• Project location: the wind farm will be situated in the South Atlantic area, approximately 40 kilometers off the coast of Île d'Oléron.
• Technology: fixed
• Capacity: around 1GW. There are some reports indicating that the capacity could be increased to 1.2GW.
• Project area: the project area covers a surface of approximately 180 km².
• Timeline: the anticipated commissioning of the wind farm is scheduled for 2032-2034. The bid deadline for this tender is set for April 2nd 2025.
• Key Participants: RWE, in partnership with VALOREM, are among the pre-qualified bidders for this tender. Other pre-selected companies include Ocean Winds; Groupement Energies du Méridien (Corio Generation), Groupement Eoliennes en Mer Oléron Atlantique (EDF Renouvelables), Iberdrola, Océole, Eni Plenitude, Groupement Oléron Energies Marines (TotalEnergies and JERA), and a consortium of Skyborn and Cobra.
• Environmental considerations: the chosen location is outside the Gironde Estuary and Pertuis Sea Marine Park, addressing environmental concerns raised during public debates.

The French energy regulator CRE (Commission de Régulation de l'Energie) is overseeing the tender process.

• Project location: the wind farm will be located more than 40 kilometers off the Cotentin peninsula in Normandy, within the "Centre Manche" area.
• Technology: fixed
• Capacity: approximately 1.5GMW.
• Project area: surface of approximately 270 km².
• Timeline: the anticipated commissioning of the wind farm is scheduled for around 2032. The bid deadline for this tender is set for April 2nd 2025.
• Key participants: RWE, in partnership with TotalEnergies, are among the pre-qualified bidders for this tender. Other pre-selected companies are also in the running for this tender, as listed in the previous paragraph regarding AO7.

The AO9 tender has a focus on both fixed and floating wind technologies.

• Project location: the AO9 tender involves four distinct offshore wind projects. These projects are located in:
• South Brittany (Bretagne Sud 2)
• Mediterranean Sea (Narbonnaise 2 and Golfe de Fos 2)
• South Atlantic (Oléron 2)
• Technology: the projects in South Brittany and the Mediterranean will utilize floating offshore wind technology. The Oléron 2 project in the South Atlantic may use either fixed-bottom or floating technology, which will be determined in later phases of the tender.
• Capacity: the total capacity of the AO9 tender is up to 2.5 GW. Specific capacities for each project are:
• Bretagne Sud 2: 400 MW–550 MW
• Narbonnaise 2: 450 MW–550 MW
• Golfe de Fos 2: 450 MW–550 MW
• Oléron 2: 1 GW–1.25 GW
• Timeline: developers are expected to be selected in autumn 2025. Commissioning of the wind farms is anticipated between 2032 and 2034.
• Key participants: the French government has pre-qualified twelve candidates for the AO9 tender. The next step in the tender process is the competitive dialogue phase.

The AO10 tender represents a significant leap in France's offshore wind ambitions. This is France's most ambitious offshore wind tender to date, aiming to award around 9 GW of new capacity. This large-scale development is crucial for France to meet its target of 18 GW of offshore wind capacity by 2035.

• Project location: the projects will be located across various French coastlines, including he AO9 tender involves four distinct offshore wind projects. These projects are located in:
• The North Sea.
• The Atlantic Ocean.
• The Mediterranean Sea
• South Brittany (Bretagne Sud 2)
• Technology: the tender encompasses both fixed-bottom and floating offshore wind technologies.
• Timeline: the call for tenders is expected to be launched in the coming months. Awards are anticipated in the second part of 2026. The projects are scheduled to become operational by 2035.
• Key considerations: the consultation process is focusing on crucial aspects such as project capacity and size, grid connection infrastructure (with a focus on HVDC technology) and project timelines. There is also focus on the technology used to connect the wind farms to the electrical grid (HVDC connections are expected to be used).