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TotalEnergies to operate France’s largest renewable energy project despite proposed exit of partner RWE
1/10/2025
News
A consortium formed by TotalEnergies and RWE has won the Centre Manche 2 offshore wind tender. Located more than 40 km off the coast of Normandy, the proposed 1.5 GW wind farm will be France’s largest renewable energy project to date. Meanwhile, Ocean Winds has installed the first turbine foundation at its Dieppe–Le Tréport (EMDT) wind farm, also offshore Normandy.
The 1.5 GW offshore wind farm proposed by the TotalEnergies-RWE consortium will generate approximately 6 TWh/y and supply green electricity to the equivalent of over 1 million French households. The electricity will be sold at a competitive price of €66/MWh, as set by the tender.
TotalEnergies will act as operator of the project, should the final investment decision be taken by early 2029. Electricity production is slated to begin in 2033, in line with France’s transmission system operator RTE’s grid connection schedule.
Project partner RWE has expressed a wish to exit the consortium, subject to approval by the French authorities, following a strategic review of its investments. However, TotalEnergies says that the project will go ahead as planned, and it will seek to bring a new project partner onboard.
The project represents a €4.5bn investment and will ‘generate significant economic benefits for the Normandy region’, reports TotalEnergies. Up to 2,500 people will be employed during the three years of construction, and the company has committed to ‘offering 500,000 hours of work to apprentices and individuals in professional reintegration’.
TotalEnergies says the project will also benefit Europe, as it intends to source primarily from European suppliers, particularly for wind turbines and electricity cables.
It also plans to implement crowdfunding financing that will allow local residents and authorities in the Normandy region to invest in the project.
In addition, TotalEnergies says it will set up a €10mn fund to support initiatives in training, education and culture in Normandy. It will also allocate €45mn to measures aimed at avoiding, reducing and offsetting any environmental impacts from the project, as well as €15mn to a biodiversity promotion fund in Normandy.
TotalEnergies says it wants the project to be ‘exemplary in terms of recycling offshore wind farm components’. Its goal is to recycle, reuse or repurpose 95% or more of blades, towers and nacelles, and to recycle or reuse 100% of generator magnets.
In related news, Ocean Winds, an EDP Renewables and Engie joint venture, recently installed the first turbine foundation at the 496 MW-capacity Dieppe–Le Tréport (EMDT) wind farm offshore Normandy (pictured). The wind farm will ultimately consist of 62 turbines, with the steel jacket foundations fabricated in Spain. The project’s offshore substation was installed earlier this summer.
Summer also saw Ocean Winds produce first electricity from its 488 MW-capacity Éoliennes en Mer des Îles d’Yeu et de Noirmoutier (EMYN) wind farm offshore of France’s west coast. It also completed assembly of the first wind turbine destined for the three-turbine, 30 MW-capacity Éoliennes Flottantes du Golfe du Lion (EFGL) Mediterranean-based floating offshore wind project, France’s first, which is being developed in a partnership with Banque des Territoires.
The company has more than 1 GW of wind projects currently under construction in French waters.
