SElon the newspaper “La Tribune”, there remains – at best – a candidate in the call for tenders to develop a wind farm at sea off the island of Oléron. It is not possible to say that wind turbines no longer has the wind in its sails, as the constraints in the sector are piling up. After the attempted moratorium carried by the extreme right, it seems that offshore projects no longer attract.
In recent months, all the giants in the sector have thrown sponge: Totalenergies, Rwe, Skyborn-Cobra, Iberdrola or Qair. EDF suspended his candidacy when he won a similar call for tenders in the Channel Center at a price for unbeatable electricity (45 euros per MWh). Ocean Winds, consortium between Engie and EDP Renováveis, is the last possible candidate.
The competition process defined by the Energy Regulatory Commission (CRE) seems compromised. It could either conclude that the invitation to tender if the remaining candidate does not meet the criteria, or consider him as the winner.
“Faramine cost”
The mayor of Saint-Pierre-d’Oléron, Christophe Sueur, is not surprised and admits that the failure of the project would be good news. “Since the opening of the public debate which has allowed the offset of the project offshore, we realize that it is a destructive idea for the environment with a staggering cost. Even the landing (the connection between underwater cables and underground cables, editor’s note) should cost three times more than the billion announced. The presence of migratory birds, the unprecedented technicality of the project on deep funds, a sale price of the electricity produced capped at 100 euros per MWh, the quality of the wind deposit, are all elements that have scared the potential investors.
The final result of the call for tenders will be unveiled in July. The absence of a winner does not necessarily mean abandoning the project. According to specialists, this general defection could force the State to revise up the guaranteed price for the sale of electricity.
