Fécamp starts producing clean, green and safe energy off the coast of France

Herring. Cod. All kinds of crustaceans. And what’s more, there’s a rich history of the shipbuilding industry.

For almost a thousand years, until the 1970s, the French port city of Fécamp was that city related primarily to the fishing industry.

Now a new harvest is underway.

Today in a small town on the northern coast of France, in the presence of Roland Lescure, French Minister Delegate for Industry and Energy, Inauguration of Enbridge and its partners the Fécamp offshore wind farm, Enbridge’s second offshore wind project in the country.

The 497 megawatt (MW) Fécamp project consists of 71 Siemens Gamesa offshore turbines, each with a generating capacity of 7 MW, located 13 to 22 kilometers off the French coast. Enbridge’s first French offshore wind farm, the 480 MW Saint-Nazaire project, was commissioned in November 2022 and was the first project of its kind in the country’s history.

“The successful completion of the Fécamp offshore wind farm represents a significant milestone for Enbridge and our project partners,” says Matthew Akman, executive vice president of corporate strategy for Enbridge and president of our Power group.

The Fécamp project, also owned by EDF Renewables, CPP Investments and Skyborn Renewables, has the capacity to supply 60% of the Seine-Maritime region, equivalent to approximately 770,000 inhabitants.

Enbridge’s plan to advance our offshore wind projects, including the 24 MW Provence Grand Large floating pilot project later this year and the 448 MW Courseulles-sur-Mer (Calvados) facility in 2025, is also on target France, which is to produce 33% of energy from renewable energy sources by 2030 and achieve net zero emissions by 2050.

“These projects further underscore our commitment to leading the energy transition and providing the region with reliable, clean and safe energy,” says Akman.

Fécamp joins Enbridge’s portfolio of offshore wind farms operating in Europe, including the Saint-Nazaire (480 MW), Rampion (400 MW) projects off the south coast of England, and the Hohe See (497 MW) and Albatros (112 MW) projects off the north coast of Germany .

Working together: a long-term commitment

Over the last 12 years, during the development and construction phases, the Fécamp offshore wind farm project team has worked in close consultation with all local stakeholders, enabling optimal protection of the landscape and surrounding environment and helping to ensure a shared enjoyment of the sea.

Numerous meetings with fisheries professionals, residents, elected representatives and other interested parties resulted in a project that combines commitment to the energy transition, consideration of local needs and resources, and respect for the environment. For example, the configuration of the wind farm was adjusted, aligning the turbines with the direction of the current to enable fishing.

Collaboration with local stakeholders and environmental monitoring measures will continue throughout the operational phase of the Fécamp offshore wind farm.

Local industrial project in Normandy

Over the past three years, the Fécamp offshore wind farm project has benefited from a network of regional infrastructure and skills.

This included the construction of 71 gravity foundations and the production of wind turbine blades, nacelles and generators in Le Havre, as well as pre-assembly of components in Cherbourg.

In total, the project has created around 3,000 jobs in the Normandy region in project implementation, with a total investment of approximately €2 billion.

Thanks to the service base located on the Grand Quai peninsula in Fécamp, approximately 100 local jobs were created to operate the wind farm. Daily tasks will range from planning maintenance activities to optimizing electricity production.