Principle Power's WindFloat Selected as Foundation for 24 MW French Offshore Wind Project

Paris, November 7, 2016 - Joint Wind Farm Pilot Project by ENGIE, EDP Renewables, Caisse des Dépôts, Eiffage, Principle Power, GE –  selected from call for floating wind turbine projects

The French government has selected a floating wind farm pilot project in the Mediterranean conducted by joint venture comprised of ENGIE, EDP Renewables, Caisse des Dépôts, Eiffage, Principle Power, and GE. 

The partners are very pleased with this validation of their innovative technology choices and expertise as a joint venture that aims, alongside both national and local players who are already hard at work, to quickly put floating wind farms on the map as a competitive energy source and part of the overall energy mix for France. 

Quickly establishing a competitive French export industry

For this proposal, ENGIE, EDP Renewables, and Caisse des Dépôts, which are already involved in offshore wind farm projects in Le Tréport, Iles d’Yeu-Noirmoutier, allied with top-notch industrial partners offering solid experience in major infrastructure projects and the most promising floater technology.

Located off the coast of Leucate / Le Barcarès, the largest source of offshore wind power in France, the pilot farm will include four GE Haliade 150-6MW turbines combined with semisubmersible floaters designed by Principle Power in Aix-en-Provence and built by Eiffage Métal in Fos-sur-Mer. All of the equipment will be assembled, stored, and shipped from Port-la-Nouvelle in the Aude department of France. Developed in close collaboration with local stakeholders, the project will particularly benefit the Occitania and Provence Alpes Côte d’Azur regions (by diversifying the Fos-sur-Mer plant to include renewable marine energy sources, for example). 

After a detailed studies and consultation phase, the turbines will be built and then come online in 2020, giving a glimpse of the future for the French floating wind farm industry and its competitive position as an exporter. 

Floating wind turbines, a technology for tomorrow

Floating wind turbines are an up-and-coming technology that can be installed in deeper, very windy water far from the shore. France’s Mediterranean coast is particularly well suited to the development of this renewable offshore energy source and a perfect test platform for future international markets. 

About ENGIE
As a global energy player, ENGIE is heavily involved in marine renewable energy, ranging from offshore wind (winning two 500 MW projects, Dieppe-Le Tréport and Yeu-Noirmoutier, in France and the 450 MW Mermaid project in Belgium) to tidal power (with the Raz Blanchard pilot farm project in Normandy) and marine geothermal (such as the Thassalia plant in Marseille). It is also an offshore natural gas producer, with expertise in building and operating offshore installations.
ENGIE develops its businesses (power, natural gas, energy services) around a model based on responsible growth to take on the major challenges of energy’s transition to a low-carbon economy: access to sustainable energy, climate-change mitigation and adaptation and the rational use of resources. The Group provides individuals, cities and businesses with highly efficient and innovative solutions largely based on its expertise in four key sectors: renewable energy, energy efficiency, liquefied natural gas and digital technology. ENGIE employs 154,950 people worldwide and achieved revenues of €69.9 billion in 2015. The Group is listed on the Paris and Brussels stock exchanges (ENGI) and is represented in the main international indices: CAC 40, BEL 20, DJ Euro Stoxx 50, Euronext 100, FTSE Eurotop 100, MSCI Europe, DJSI World, DJSI Europe and Euronext Vigeo (World 120, Eurozone 120, Europe 120 and France 20).

About EDP Renewables
EDP Renewables (Euronext: EDPR) is a global leader in the renewable energy sector and one of the largest wind energy producers in the world. Boasting top-quality assets, EDPR has seen impressive growth over recent years and is currently present in 12 markets worldwide (Belgium, Brazil, Canada, France, Italy, Mexico, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States).
EDPR is a major player in renewable energy in France, operating 40 onshore wind farms. It also owns a stake in the Dieppe/Le Tréport and Yeu/Noirmoutier offshore wind farms. The company is committed to supporting France’s energy transition over the long term with its expertise and resources, both human and financial.
Energias de Portugal, S.A. (“EDP”), the principal shareholder of EDPR, is a global energy company and a leader in value creation, innovation and sustainability. EDP is Portugal's largest industrial group and the only Portuguese company to be listed on the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes (World and STOXX).

About Caisse des Dépôts
Caisse des Dépôts and its subsidiaries form a public group that makes long-term investments to serve local economic development and general interests. The French law on the modernization of the economy, dated August 4, 2008 reaffirmed its mission.
Recognized for its expertise in managing government contracts, the Group has focused its business on four transitions that are strategic to France’s long-term development: territorial, environmental and energy, digital, and demographic. www.caissedesdepots.fr

About Eiffage
Eiffage is one of Europe's leading construction and concessions companies. The Group's activities are organized around the following business lines: construction, property development, civil engineering, metal, roads, energy, and concessions. Thanks to the experience of more than 64,000 employees, Eiffage generated revenues of €13.9 billion in 2015, including 19% outside France.  

About Eiffage Métal
A specialist in turnkey metal construction, Eiffage Métal has fifty years of experience in building sea-based structures. Every day, its experts in France, Belgium, Germany, and Spain use their skills in engineering, project management, and production to develop custom solutions around the globe. 

About Principle Power
Principle Power, founded in 2007, supplies technologies and services to the offshore wind industry. The company’s innovative, proven technology, WindFloat, provides access to offshore sites located in transitional and deep waters. This technology supports the development of the offshore wind industry by opening up new markets and offering a way to substantially reduce the costs and risks inherent in fixed offshore wind projects. Principle Power, with offices in France, Portugal, and the USA, sells its WindFloat solution and acts as a service provider to developers, independent producers, and energy firms in the rapidly expanding international market for offshore wind power.

About GE
GE Renewable Energy is a $9 billion dollar start-up that brings together one of the broadest product and services portfolios of the renewable energy industry. Combining onshore and offshore wind, hydro and innovative technologies such as concentrated solar power, GE Renewable Energy has installed more than 370 gigawatts capacity globally to make the world work better and cleaner. With 13,000 employees present in more than 55 countries, GE Renewable Energy is backed by the resources of the world's first digital industrial company. Our goal is to demonstrate to the rest of the world that nobody should ever have to choose between affordable, reliable, and sustainable energy.