Venterra Expand French Presence

The Venterra Group Plc has strategically expanded its presence in the French market to capitalise on the country’s accelerating offshore wind sector. The move comes in the wake of French President Emmanuel Macron’s 2022 commitment to achieving around 40 GW of offshore wind capacity by 2050. To align with this ambitious goal, the Venterra Group Plc has recently established a presence in Nantes, a key port city in France, to serve the rapidly expanding market.

Heading the French operation is Jean-Philippe TOUZANNE, an expert in floating wind technology, signalling Venterra’s commitment to leveraging innovative solutions in this sector. Macron’s announcement last year included an impressive financial commitment, with France earmarking EUR 1 billion to foster the development of emerging technologies, particularly in floating wind. Venterra’s French team’s expertise in floating offshore technology will enhance its existing engineering capabilities in fixed wind farm development, leveraging over two decades of successfully delivering offshore wind projects worldwide.

This week, the French government further solidified its support to the offshore sector by designating specific locations for two floating wind projects, each with a capacity of around 250 MW, and outlining plans for their subsequent expansions in the Mediterranean Sea. These projects, totalling approximately 750 MW each, will be in zones 1 and 2. Zone 1, off the Narbonne coast, will host the initial 250 MW project more than 25 kilometres from the coast, with a 500 MW extension located over 30 kilometres from the coast of Aude. Zone 2, off the Gulf of Fos, will follow a similar structure.

The Venterra Group Plc, with very specialist engineering expertise across its nine-member companies and a strong track record in delivering global offshore wind projects at scale, is well-positioned to participate in these developments, as the specified zones are part of a competitive bidding procedure, with the first two 250 MW projects expected to be awarded by the summer of 2024. The commissioning of these initial 250 MW wind farms is scheduled for 2031. This expansion aligns with France’s broader objective of accelerating offshore wind development to establish 50 wind farms by 2050, contributing 40 GW of total capacity and nearly 20% of the country’s electricity consumption. The Venterra Group’s strategic move underscores its commitment to playing a leading role in France’s evolving renewable energy landscape.