Butendiek offshore wind farm, German North Sea. Courtesy of Octopus Energy.
The French government’s decision follows a rigorous pre-qualification process to choose the best companies to enter its ninth offshore wind tender round. Winners are expected to be announced in late 2025.
Skyborn is an accomplished offshore wind developer and operator with more than 20 years experience and capabilities covering the entire offshore wind value chain.
In France, Skyborn, in partnership with EDF Renewables, EIH S.à. r.l, a subsidiary of Enbridge Inc. and Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPP Investments), successfully commissioned the 500 MW Fécamp wind farm earlier this year. The company also has another offshore wind project under construction in the country.
The move marks Octopus’ first foray into early-stage offshore wind tenders globally, as it expands its footprint in the sector. Octopus started investing in offshore wind farms in 2022 and has since backed six wind farms across the UK, Netherlands and Germany.
Last year it launched its landmark Offshore Wind Fund, Vector, to rapidly scale this technology. Through this fund, it invested in Ocergy – a tech disruptor with operations in France – which is innovating in the floating offshore wind space.
In just two years, Octopus has invested $2 billion in offshore wind globally and is planning to unleash $20 billion into this sector by 2030.
With around 1 GW of installed capacity, France’s offshore wind market is still relatively small. However, the market has huge untapped potential, with the government targeting 18 GW by 2035 and 45 GW by 2050.
“Offshore wind will undoubtedly play an integral role in France’s energy system, harnessing strong winds to generate more clean power” said Zoisa North-Bond, CEO of Octopus Energy Generation. “This exciting partnership with Skyborn is a game-changer, marking the first time Octopus will enter an offshore wind tender globally, and potentially adding a new country to our offshore wind roster.”
Octopus has been investing in France’s clean energy market for several years, with over 360 MW of wind and solar projects – its largest generation market in continental Europe. The company is also an energy supplier in France, with ambitions to have 1 million customers by 2030. It recently launched its trailblazing ‘Fan Club’ for French customers living near a wind farm in Nantes, enabling discounted electricity when the wind is blowing.
