the offshore wind market | France

1.1 Definition and scope of study

A wind turbine located offshore is a wind turbine installed at sea, more than 10 km from the coast . It is connected to the network by a submarine cable. An offshore wind turbine works in the same way as an onshore wind turbine, with the big difference that it is located at sea in order to make better use of the energy of the wind driving its blades. The earliest models of offshore turbines were land-based wind turbines installed at sea. Industrialists have had to develop these wind turbines into units that are better adapted to the maritime environment and its constraints.

The global offshore wind energy market is growing rapidly: between 2009 and 2018, annual installed capacity grew by 34% and annual production increased by 1,600% . This very rapid increase in power is accompanied by significant needs for the construction and operation of offshore wind farms France has not yet commissioned any offshore wind farms but now she's trying to catch up The turnover of companies in the sector grew by 29% between 2016 and 2016 and should continue to grow with the planned commissioning of around ten projects between 2020 and 2023.

The trend in the French market is to the construction of wind farms to meet the objectives set by the Multiannual Energy Program which is targeting 5.2 GW of offshore wind power capacity by 2028. There is also a development of floating wind turbines which allow to free oneself from the constraints of the depth of the bottom of the installed wind turbines.

The main players in this market are public authorities manufacturers such as Vestas or Enercon and operators such as Engie or EDF Renewable Energies .