The first offshore wind projects to win preliminary approval from France’s energy ministry will have a much higher cost of energy (€/MWh) than offshore wind developments in other European countries, concludes a report published by the French senate.
An average cost of €226.5/MWh in 2020 is cited for the four offshore wind farms that won development rights earlier this year. A fifth project, GDF-Suez’s Le Tréport proposal, was shelved due to cost. Three of the four approved projects will be developed by consortia led by EDF. A joint venture created by Iberdrola and Eole-RES will build the fourth.
The €226.5/MWh figure is included in the final report of a senate enquiry into the true cost of electricity generation in France. The report notes this cost is "very much above" that of offshore wind projects in other European countries. Reference is made to a Danish offshore wind farm currently under construction, Anholt, with an estimated cost of energy in the region of €140/MWh.
Offshore wind developers in Europe are under increasing pressure to control - and reduce - their projects' cost of generating electricity. The UK government has challenged its offshore wind industry to achieve £140/MWh (€179.4/MWh).
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