The French government has designated the French company TotalEnergies and the German RWE to build a large wind farm off the Normandy coast – the largest renewable energy project ever in France. RWE and TotalEnergies had been prequalified and are collaborating on the project’s design, development, and execution. TotalEnergies will act as operator.
The project, representing a €4.5 billion investment, is currently in pre-construction/development status, with a final investment decision expected by early 2029. It is expected to be operational by 2033.
Cumulative capacity of 2.5 GW
According to TotalEnergies, ‘Centre Manche 2’, the name of the wind farm, will be built approximately forty kilometers off the Normandy coast, in the English Channel region, east of the Cotentin Peninsula. It will have a capacity of 1.5 gigawatts and will supply electricity to more than a million homes.
Construction of the 1 gigawatt ‘Centre Manche 1’ is scheduled to begin in 2028, with commissioning planned for 2032. Together, the two projects aim for a cumulative capacity of about 2.5 GW. The project is being developed under a national call for tenders, launched in 2022, aimed at expanding France’s offshore wind capacity.
