A consortium formed by TotalEnergies and RWE has been awarded the Centre Manche 2 offshore wind tender. The project will develop a 1.5 GW offshore wind farm off Normandy, France. It will be the largest bioenergy project in the country to date.
TotalEnergies will use its expertise in offshore wind and marine energy. The company aims to make a final investment decision by early 2029. Electricity production is expected to start in 2033, following RTE’s grid connection schedule.
Patrick Pouyanné, CEO of TotalEnergies, said this project marks a major step in France’s renewable energy efforts. It is the largest investment by TotalEnergies in France in decades. The project supports local industry and aims to deliver affordable, green electricity for French consumers.
RWE has expressed a wish to exit the consortium, pending approval from French authorities. TotalEnergies will continue the project and may bring in a new partner.
This €4.5 billion project will benefit Normandy and the wider European industry. It is expected to create up to 2,500 jobs during construction and will offer 500,000 hours of work to apprentices and workers in transition. The company plans to source mainly from European suppliers for turbines and cables.
Environmental commitments include €45 million for measures to minimize impacts. There will be €15 million for biodiversity promotion in Normandy. TotalEnergies also commits to recycling at least 95% of offshore wind components, such as blades, towers, and nacelles. All generator magnets will be recycled or reused.
TotalEnergies has a long-standing presence in France. Since 2020, it has invested over €8 billion in the country. Nearly half supports the bioenergy transition. It owns more than 2 GW of renewable capacity, including wind, solar, hydro, and storage plants. This renewable portfolio supplies electricity to 1.8 million French people. The company also supplies electricity and gas to over 4 million customers.
