Fécamp, France, May 15 th, 2024 - In the presence of Roland Lescure, French delegated Minister for Industry and Energy, EDF, through its subsidiary EDF Renewables, EIH S.à.r.l, a subsidiary of Enbridge Inc., Canada Plan Investment Board (CPP Investments) and Skyborn inaugurated the 500MW Fécamp Offshore Wind Farm. Located between 13 and 24km off the northern coast of France, the Wind Farm will help support France's energy transition objectives, which aim to achieve a 33% share of renewable energy in its energy mix by 2030.

Fécamp's Offshore Wind Farm in May 2024 © EDF Renewables

From the production of its first megawatt-hour in July 2023, to the installation of the 71st wind turbine, the Fécamp Offshore Wind Farm has been progressively connected to the national grid. In the coming weeks, it will be able to supply nearly 770,000 people with low-carbon electricity, equivalent to 60% of the annual electricity consumption of the Seine-Maritime department.

Working together with the region: a long-term commitment

Throughout the development and construction phases over the past 12 years, the Fécamp Offshore Wind Farm project team has worked in close consultation with all local stakeholders, which has enabled to best protect the landscape and surrounding environment and help ensure shared use of the sea. Numerous meetings with fishing professionals, residents, elected representatives and other stakeholders have allowed us to successfully complete a project that combines a commitment to the energy transition, consideration of local needs and resources, and respect for the environment. For example, the configuration of the wind farm has been adapted, with the turbines aligned in the direction of the current to allow fishing.

Cooperation with local stakeholders and environmental monitoring measures will continue throughout the operational phase of the Fécamp offshore Wind Farm.

A local industrial project in Normandy

Throughout the three-year construction phase, the Fécamp offshore wind farm relied primarily on the regional infrastructure and skills of Le Havre and Cherbourg to build the gravity foundations and wind turbines. In all, the project has mobilized some 3,000 jobs in the Normandy region and represents a total investment of around 2 billion euros.

With the maintenance base located on the Grand Quai peninsula in Fécamp, around a hundred local jobs have been created to operate of the wind farm. Day-to-day tasks will range from planning maintenance operations to optimizing electricity production.