The French government has awarded Ocean Winds (OW) and Banque des Territoires a 250 MW floating offshore wind project off the coast of the Occitania region, in the Gulf of Lion, Mediterranean Sea, as part of the AO6 offshore wind energy auction process.

According to OW, the Eoliennes Flottantes d'Occitanie project will be capable of producing approximately 1 TWh of clean electricity per year, enough to meet the domestic energy needs of nearly 500,000 people. This represents a significant contribution to the renewable energy supply for the population of Occitania, which is 6 million people.

The project is expected to generate around 5 million work hours during its development and construction phases and will create permanent maintenance jobs during its operational phase.

Craig Windram, CEO of Ocean Winds, stated that "this project underscores the French government's trust in Ocean Winds as a trusted leader in offshore wind energy. We are a key player in the offshore wind sector in France thanks to our three projects under construction (îles d'Yeu et de Noirmoutier, Dieppe Le Tréport, and EFGL), and we bring unparalleled experience to this initiative."

For his part, Emmanuel Legrand, Director of the Energy and Ecological Transition Department at Banque des Territoires, expressed gratitude for "being selected to build this first major floating wind project in the Mediterranean. Since the first pilot projects, Banque des Territoires has been committed to supporting France’s leadership in floating wind energy. This project reflects the ambition of the Caisse des Dépôts group to invest €100 billion in ecological transformation."

Marc Hirt, Country Manager of Ocean Winds in France, added that "this project strengthens our contribution to France's and the Occitania region's energy transition by 2050."