WIND ENERGY

Ocean Winds: a symbol of the rise of offshore wind power

By ENGIE - 07 September 2022 - 17:14

With 14 projects in progress in seven countries, Ocean Winds is aiming to become a world leader in offshore wind power. This 50-50 joint venture between ENGIE and EDPR has an offshore wind power portfolio totalling 14.5 GW (in operation, under construction and in the advanced development phase), or the equivalent of 11 nuclear tranches. But how has it achieved this remarkable success?

 

Offshore wind farms have the wind in their sails

In May 2022, Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands and Belgium announced their plans to install almost 150 gigawatts of wind turbines in the North Sea by 2050, which is ten times the current installed power (source: lemonde.fr/planète/mai2022). Scotland awarded 27 GW of offshore wind power capacity through calls for tender in just one year. France alone is targeting 50 GW by 2050. The United States expects to have 30 GW of installed capacity by 2030… But what is behind this trend?

This rapid growth is due to the very promising potential of offshore wind power. Offshore wind farms offer some major advantages:

  • They can harness the greater power and consistency of ocean winds,
  • Their location at sea solves the problem of the limited space that is available in densely populated areas,
  • Offshore wind farms can meet high demands for electricity,
  • They contribute to the diversification of the energy mix, which is required to meet the demands for clean, carbon-free energy.

 

Key figure

150 GW of installed offshore wind capacity = green electricity for 230 million households.

 

The conditions for a ramp-up

Currently, construction costs are the main obstacle to the deployment of offshore wind power. Offshore wind farms require high investment, particularly in the foundations and electrical connections. They also incur high maintenance costs. But these costs have already been cut significantly. The quest for sources of carbon-free energy, the worldwide geopolitical situation and the pressure on traditional fossil fuels also make offshore wind power a competitive option. Lastly, the impacts of wind farms on marine fauna and flora are being examined and data is being collected to gain more knowledge about these ecosystems and to minimise the impacts. But this sector already has sufficient experience to propose solutions, such as better soundproofing against construction noise by bubble walls, for example. Once in operation, offshore wind farms become sanctuaries for fauna.

 

Key figure

Up to 60% more energy from offshore wind farms than onshore wind farms (source: ADEME, 2019).

 

Ocean Winds: the rising star of offshore wind power

2020 

  • Creation of Ocean Winds (OW), a 50-50 joint venture between EDP Renovàveis and ENGIE.
  • The company has a total of 1.5 GW under construction and 4 GW under development.
  • The WindFloat Atlantic project (a pilot project for the development of floating wind power in Europe) comes on stream off the coast of Portugal, with three wind turbines and a total capacity of 25 MW.

2021

2022

  • The Moray East project starts up off the coast of Scotland, with 100 wind turbines and a total capacity of 950 MW.
  • In 2021, Ocean Winds produced 1.5 GW of green electricity worldwide.
  • The portfolio of projects doubles: NY Bight, KF Wind in Korea, Scotwind,
  • Finalisation of the funding for the floating offshore wind farm in the “Golfe du Lion” (EFGL), a pilot project comprising three floating wind turbines in a marine national park.

(English subtitles available)

 

And the future?

Ocean Winds is continuing to develop projects the world over. Off the coast of Dieppe-Le Tréport and the Yeu-Noirmoutier islands in France, wind farms will come on stream in 2025, with a total capacity of almost 1 GW. In the United States, the Mayflower Wind project could produce up to 2 GW of clean energy. In the south east of the Korean peninsular, 80 km off the coast near Ulsan, Ocean Winds is developing the Korea Floating Wind Power (KF Wind) project, comprising three wind farms. Since deep-water projects (200 m) are not possible with traditional ocean floor fastening technologies, floating platforms will be deployed, thanks to the expertise of Ocean Winds, which is pioneering this technology in the WindFloat Atlantic project in Portugal.

 

Against the backdrop of an international crisis that is speeding up the energy transition in many countries, and with 70% of the surface of the planet covered by oceans, offshore wind power is set to play an important role.

 

>> ENGIE and Google conclude a Corporate PPA relying on Ocean Winds’ offshore wind development <<