Power production starts at France’s EFGL floating wind project

Ocean Winds (OW) has announced that electricity production has started at its 30MW Éoliennes Flottantes du Golfe du Lion (EFGL) floating offshore wind farm.

The milestone project represents Ocean Winds’ second operating floating wind farm and its first in France and will generate around 110,000MWh/year.

The wind farm consists of three 10MW turbines installed on floating foundations and is located 16km off the French coast in the Mediterranean Sea.

According to OW in a release, the project showcases the maturity of the technology, as well as the results of a well-developed local supply chain.

Approximately 85% of direct suppliers are French companies or companies based in France, with more than 99% located in Europe.

Furthermore, as the project enters its operational phase, it has created jobs for 20 workers based in Port-la-Nouvelle, employed to monitor energy production and maintenance activities.

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Marc Hirt, Country Manager for France at Ocean Winds, suggests that this project milestone is an important signal for France’s energy sovereignty and bodes well for the sector at large.

Said Hirt in a statement: “It showcases the industrial maturity, precision, and collaboration needed to bring floating wind to commercial scale, mobilising European and French players alongside French SMEs in support of the energy transition. We are very proud that this remarkable project is already delivering tangible benefits to the Occitanie region — not only through green energy production, but also through support to the local economy, job creation, and environmental awareness.”

The EFGL project builds on the lessons learned by OW’s first floating offshore wind project WindFloat Atlantic, located in Portugal. This project is located ~18km off the coast of Viana do Castelo in water approximately 100m deep. It features three 8.4MW Vestas turbines installed on top of three semi-submersible WindFloat platforms.

Site visit: WindFloat Atlantic Project O&M base in Viana do Castelo

Just as WindFloat Atlantic provided a foundation for EFGL, so too will EFGL provide the foundation for further developments, such as Eoliennes Flottantes d’Occitanie (EFLO), a 250MW floating offshore wind project awarded to OW and Banque des Territoires in late 2024.

OW is the result of a 2019 joint venture by EDP Renewables (EDPR) and ENGIE. EDPR and ENGIE combined their offshore wind assets and project pipeline under OW, beginning with 1.5GW under construction and 4GW under development

This has since grown to 3.8GW of projects in operation and construction and 17.6GW under development.