French government today, 27 December, announced the winners of the AO6 tender which offered two 250 MW floating wind sites in the Mediterranean Sea. The winning proposals were placed by a consortium comprising Ocean Winds and Banque des Territoires and a consortium between EDF Renewables and Maple Power.

Image source: French Government (Eoliennes en mer en France)

The Ocean Winds-led partnership secured the rights to a site in the “Narbonaise” area, located more than 25 kilometres from the French coast, between Agde (Hérault) and Port-la-Nouvelle (Aude). EDF and Maple Power were awarded the site in the “Golfe de Fos” area off Fos-sur-Mer (Bouches-du-Rhône), also in waters more than 25 kilometres from the coast.

The winners have each committed to recycling wind turbines, including blades and magnets, and to hiring SMEs for 10 per cent of the work involving studies, manufacturing of components, and operation activities. The developers will also earmark at least EUR 10 million in financing or participatory investment and will each mobilise 400,000 hours of professional integration for people with social or professional difficulties, including at least 20 per cent of training hours. The two winners have also signed the “Commitment Charter to contribute to the regional structuring of a French industrial sector”, according to a press release issued by the French Ministry of Industry and Energy on 27 December.

The competitive bidding process for the two floating wind sites was launched in March 2022, following a consultation period organised by the National Commission for Public Debate (CNDP) in 2021. In the summer of 2022, thirteen candidates were preselected for the procedure and participated in the competitive dialogue.

Following the submission of bids by candidates in August 2024, the Energy Regulatory Commission (CRE) conducted a review and delivered its decision on 29 November, after which the government designated the two winners.

The other eleven companies and consortia which pre-qualified for the tender were Iberdrola; Vattenfall; Cobra Instalaciones y Servicios, S.A.; Eni Plenitude; a partnership led by Equinor; a consortium of BlueFloat Energy, Sumitomo Corporation, and Akuo Energy; a partnership between BayWa re and Elicio; a partnership between RWE and Bourbon; a consortium comprising Shell and EnBW; a consortium of Qair, TotalEnergies, and Corio Generation; and a consortium led by wpd.