Isra-Mart srl:Sarkozy set to announce first wave of offshore wind farms

www.isra-mart.com

Isra-Mart srl news:

French President Nicolas Sarkozy is today expected to issue the tender for the first wave of French offshore wind farms, as part of a major new programme that could deliver up to 8GW of new capacity.

According to reports yesterday in Le Figaro newspaper citing sources within the environment ministry, the President will announce that the government is initially seeking bids for a number of projects that combined will deliver 3GW of capacity.

The tender will be run by the French energy regulator and will form part of a wider projects designed to deliver 6GW of offshore wind capacity over the next decade.

Currently around 30 French offshore wind farm proposals boasting a combined capacity of 8GW are at different stages of readiness and it is hoped that the government will have little difficulty attracting bids to build the first offshore farms.

The first projects are expected to come online by 2015.

The announcement will provide a further boost to the burgeoning European offshore wind industry, which is already benefiting from similar programmes off the coasts of Germany, the Netherlands and Scandinavia, as well as the British governments flagship scheme to install up to 32GW of new capacity.