Paris is seeking to turn ports on its Atlantic, English Channel and Mediterranean coasts into a coordinated industrial network for floating wind development. The upgrades are expected to mobilise close to €1 billion in total investment, while the European Commission has approved a €63 billion state aid scheme for new offshore wind projects.
€63 billion state aid scheme
According to an announcement published on Tuesday by the European Commission’s EU Blue Economy Observatory, the French scheme approved in July will provide support through 25-year contracts for difference.
The programme covers 11 offshore wind farms with a combined capacity of up to 11.1 GW.
Five ports receive funding
The French government has awarded nearly €260 million to five ports to upgrade their infrastructure for the construction, assembly and installation of floating offshore wind turbines.
Funding will go to the ports of Cherbourg, Brest, Nantes-Saint-Nazaire, Port-la-Nouvelle and Marseille-Fos. According to the observatory, the grants are expected to mobilise total investments approaching €1 billion.
The funds are being managed by France’s Environment and Energy Management Agency, ADEME, under the France 2030 investment programme.
They were awarded through a call for projects launched in 2024, aimed at creating a coordinated industrial network of ports along the Atlantic, English Channel and Mediterranean coasts.
Infrastructure for large-scale components
The investments will include the construction or reinforcement of quays, the creation of heavy-load storage and assembly areas, and upgrades to access roads capable of handling the large components required for floating offshore wind farms.
The infrastructure will be used to manufacture and assemble floating foundations and install turbines onto the structures before they are towed out to sea.
Cherbourg, Brest and Nantes-Saint-Nazaire will serve projects in the Atlantic and English Channel, while Port-la-Nouvelle and Marseille-Fos will support developments in the Mediterranean.
Cherbourg project worth €30 million
The planned upgrade at Cherbourg represents an investment of €30 million.
Of this amount, €10.5 million will come from ADEME funding, €18.1 million from offshore renewable energy revenue and €1.4 million from the Cotentin urban community.
France targets nearly 6 GW by 2040
France aims to have nearly 6 GW of operational floating offshore wind capacity by 2040, with its ports forming a central part of plans to establish a domestic industrial and supply chain.
The AO10 tender is also under way, covering slightly more than 10 GW of capacity across seven floating and four fixed-bottom offshore wind farms.
According to the observatory, the port investments come as floating offshore wind moves from demonstration projects to larger commercial developments, increasing demand for construction, assembly, maintenance and logistics infrastructure.
Source: CNA
