Engie and EDP Renewables (EDPR) have submitted a joint pre-qualification bid to construct an offshore wind farm in France with a capacity of up to 750 MW.
The bid is the first phase in a competitive dialogue process in France’s third round of tenders to develop potential offshore wind energy capacity off the coast near Dunkirk.
Engie and EDPR said in a statement that their joint bid will give them an opportunity to build a long-term relationship in the French offshore wind market, which has the second-highest potential in Europe.
They have previously worked together on other offshore wind energy projects in France, including Dieppe-Le Tréport and the Islands of Yeu and Noirmoutier. “This shared experience gives the consortium’s bid solidity, based on strong technical and economical capacity,” Engie said.
In the first stage of the bidding process, France’s Energy Regulatory Commission (CRE) will assess the technical and financial strength of bids. Successful bids will progress to a competitive dialogue process with the Ministry of Energy.
The Dunkirk wind farm is expected to be commissioned in 2022.
France held its first offshore wind tender in 2011 and the second in 2013. The third round is part of the country’s multi-annual energy programme (PPE), which aims to develop 3 GW of offshore wind capacity by 2023, with a further 3 GW in the pipeline beyond that.
