France has officially commissioned the Provence Grand Large, the first floating wind farm in both France and the Mediterranean Sea, marking a major milestone in offshore renewable energy.

Located 17 kilometers off the coast of Port-Saint-Louis-du-Rhône, the pilot project features three floating turbines with a combined capacity of 25 MW. The wind farm was developed by a partnership between EDF Renewables, Enbridge, and the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPP Investments).

Bernard Fontana, Chairman and CEO of EDF, highlighted the project’s significance for France’s energy future:

“This is an important project for the country’s energy sovereignty. The pilot farm actively participates in France’s energy transition while supporting the emergence of a cutting-edge industrial sector with innovative technologies.”

The project uses pioneering anchoring technology inspired by oil platform stabilization systems. Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy built the floating turbines, which are stabilized by taut anchor lines developed by SBM Offshore and IFP Energies Nouvelles. Dynamic cables manufactured by Prysmian adapt to the floats’ movement to transmit electricity to the shore.

EDF emphasized that the lessons learned from Provence Grand Large will help with the construction of its next floating offshore wind farm, Méditerranée Grand Large, scheduled for development 25 kilometers offshore. This future wind farm will have a much larger capacity of approximately 250 MW and will be developed with Maple Power.

The French government aims for 45 GW of offshore wind capacity by 2050, with plans to commission around 50 offshore wind farms. EDF Renewables, together with Maple Power and its shareholders, has already developed and commissioned France’s largest offshore wind farm, the 480 MW Fécamp facility, and is working on several others.

With Provence Grand Large now operational, France is pushing forward its ambitions to lead in offshore wind energy in the Mediterranean and beyond.