France has selected Cherbourg, Brest, Nantes-Saint-Nazaire, Port-la-Nouvelle and Marseille-Fos for nearly €260m ($298.4m) of floating offshore wind infrastructure support, according to France’s Ministry for Ecological Transition and Transport.
The awards were presented on 30 July by French transport minister Philippe Tabarot and junior energy minister Maud Bregeon. The grants are expected to support close to €1bn ($1.15bn) of investment in heavy-load quays, reinforced assembly and storage areas and access routes across France’s Atlantic-Channel and Mediterranean coasts.
France aims to have nearly 6 GW of floating wind capacity operating by 2040.
Marseille-Fos received the largest allocation, with up to €82.3m ($94.4m) for the €303m ($347.7m) DEOS project at Fos-sur-Mer. The scheme covers 30 hectares of land, a 400-metre quay dredged to 17 metres and 31 hectares for storing foundations afloat. Construction is due to start in early 2028, with phased delivery from late 2029 to mid-2030. The port is also selecting the site’s first industrial operator.
Nantes-Saint-Nazaire secured nearly €60m ($68.9m) for the Éole project, an investment of more than €200m ($229.5m). It includes a 530-metre quay designed for projects totalling about 500 MW to 600 MW a year. Construction could start in 2029, subject to permits, with operation targeted for 2032.
Brest was allocated €58m ($66.6m) for the roughly €250m ($286.9m) InFloW project backed by the Brittany region. It is designed to assemble 20 to 30 floating foundations a year for turbines of up to 25 MW. Plans include a 400-metre heavy-load quay and capacity for 10 to 15 foundations afloat. A final investment decision is expected in 2028, delivery in 2030 and a gradual ramp-up through 2033.
Port-la-Nouvelle will receive €48m ($55.1m).
Cherbourg secured €10.5m ($12.1m) for a €30m ($34.4m) extension of the Quai des Flamands, including a 140-metre to 160-metre quay with capacity of 15 to 50 tonnes per square metre. Financing also includes €18.1m ($20.8m) from marine renewable energy activities and €1.4m ($1.6m) from the Cotentin local authority. The awards follow a 2024 national call for projects to prepare ports for manufacturing and assembling floating foundations, integrating turbines and towing completed units offshore.
ADEME, the French Agency for Ecological Transition, is a public agency overseen by France’s environment, energy and research ministries. It finances research, demonstration and industrial deployment projects and administers France 2030 funding.