The French Energy Regulatory Commission (CRE) recently announced that TotalEnergies, together with Norway's Equinor and Belgium's Parkwind, has won the bid for a 1.5GW offshore wind power project in the Dunkirk area of France. The project is expected to have a total investment of approximately 4 billion euros (about 31.2 billion yuan) and is planned to achieve full capacity grid connected power generation by 2030.

The winning bid includes the installation of approximately 100 15MW offshore wind turbines, with a locked electricity price of 86.5 euros per megawatt hour (approximately 0.675 yuan per kilowatt hour) throughout the project's lifecycle. The price is 18% lower than the bid price for similar projects in France in 2022, setting a new low in the history of offshore wind power in France.

The project is located approximately 15 kilometers off the coast of Dunkirk, with an average depth of 25 meters, and will use a fixed foundation structure. After completion, the annual power generation can reach 6.5 terawatt hours, which can meet the electricity needs of 1.9 million households and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by about 3 million tons per year.

The French Minister of Energy Transition stated that the project will create 3000 direct job opportunities and drive Le Havre Port to become a hub for offshore wind power in the North Sea. Total Energy will collaborate with companies such as Siemens Gamesa and Atlantic Shipyard to establish a local industrial chain.

Seven international energy companies participated in this bidding, including Germany's Rheinland Group, France's Electric Renewable Energy Company, and Spain's Iberdrola Company. The French government plans to achieve a target of 18GW of offshore wind power installation by 2035.Editor/Bian Wenjun