Elicio and BayWa win French floating wind tender

A consortium between wind energy producer Elicio and BayWa r.e. has won the AO5 tender in France to develop a commercial floating offshore wind farm.

The award is the outcome of a competitive tender process initiated in 2021 for an offshore floating wind project with a capacity between 230 and 270MW, located in the south of Brittany off the coast of Lorient.

The Pennavel floating offshore wind project is expected to generate approximately 30% of Brittany’s current renewable energy production and power over 450,000 inhabitants annually.

Pennavel will be France's first large-scale commercial floating offshore wind project and is claimed to be the first commercial floating wind farm to be awarded a long-term Contract for Difference (CfD).

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The project benefits from a grid connection with French transmission system operator RTE, who is responsible for the transmission assets including offshore substation and export cables.

It is the second recent success in floating wind in Europe by Elicio and BayWa r.e. following the 960MW Buchan Offshore Wind farm off the north-east coast of Scotland, together with a third partner.

Matthias Taft CEO of BayWa r.e. said in a statement: “We are delighted by the decision of the Ministry of Economy, Finance, and Industrial and Digital Sovereignty, which recognises the huge commitment and quality of the work carried out by the BayWa r.e. and Elicio teams. We look forward to continuing our successful collaboration with the region and all stakeholders in support of the energy transition. It is a proud moment for the consortium, and as we begin a new chapter for BayWa r.e. in the floating offshore industry, we are excited to be working on such a game-changing project, which will act as a reference point for future floating wind farms across the globe.”

Pennavel's development has been coordinated through close consultation with local stakeholders, including professional fishermen, environmental experts and representatives of the industrial value chain.

The consortium plans to work closely with local communities in close dialogue while also fostering transparency throughout the entire project.

Through crowdfunding, the local population will have the opportunity to invest in this project. Furthermore, the floating offshore wind farm is expected to generate around 4,5 million working hours during the construction phase, and more than 30 permanent jobs during the operational one.

The Pennavel project will support the French government’s ambitious goal to commission around 50 offshore wind farms by 2050 and realise 45GW of power.