The Saint-Brieuc Bay offshore wind farm in Côtes-d’Armor officially commenced operations on Tuesday morning, marking it as the second French offshore wind farm to produce electricity, according to Iberdrola, the project’s developer and operator.
62 Wind Turbines of 8 MW Each
The wind farm features 62 Siemens Gamesa turbines, each with a capacity of 8 megawatts (MW)—the most powerful turbines installed offshore in France to date. After three years of construction and 12 years of development, these turbines have been successfully connected to the power grid.
The wind farm is expected to generate 1,820 gigawatt-hours (GWh) annually, which equates to 9% of Brittany’s electricity consumption, enough to power over 800,000 residents.
The project, located 16 kilometers off the coast, represents a total investment of 2.4 billion euros, entirely funded by Iberdrola.
The First Offshore Wind Farm at Saint-Nazaire Connected in 2022
Despite its extensive coastline, France has fallen behind in its offshore wind ambitions. The country’s first offshore wind farm was connected in 2022 off the coast of Saint-Nazaire (Loire-Atlantique), a decade after the market award.
The Fécamp wind farm in Normandy, inaugurated on May 15 by Industry Minister Roland Lescure, is expected to be fully operational in the coming days, according to EDF Renewables. Its 71 wind turbines, each with a capacity of 7 MW, were connected to the grid on Sunday and will gradually increase production.
Future Projects and Government Goals
Three additional wind farms are expected to become operational in 2025 and 2026. In total, these six wind farms will provide nearly 3 GW of capacity. The French government aims to reach 18 GW by 2035 and 45 GW by 2050.
Ongoing Tenders
Several tenders are currently in progress, particularly in floating wind technology, which allows for the installation of wind farms further offshore. To accelerate the development process, a map of “suitable zones” will be published in September following a debate involving fishermen, transporters, boaters, and ecologists.
In Saint-Brieuc, with the construction phase now complete, a prefectural decree is expected “in the coming weeks” to permit the resumption of activities, particularly fishing, in the area, Iberdrola reported.
Iberdrola’s Global Offshore Wind Portfolio
For Iberdrola, the Saint-Brieuc site is the fourth offshore wind farm constructed worldwide, following West of Duddon Sands (Irish Sea, 389 MW), Wikinger (Baltic Sea, 350 MW), and East Anglia One (North Sea, 714 MW). The company has also begun construction on East Anglia 3 (1.4 GW) in the UK and Vineyard Wind 1 (806 MW), the first offshore wind farm in the United States.