The French Ministry of Industry and Energy has awarded the Centre Manche 2 offshore wind tender to the consortium of TotalEnergies and RWE.

Once operational, the 1.5GW offshore wind farm, located over 40km off the Normandy coast, is expected to generate around 6TWh of electricity annually, supplying electricity to the equivalent of over one million households.

Electricity will be delivered at a price of €66/MWh ($77.4/MWh), as set by the tender, with production to commence from 2033.

The consortium will undertake the project’s design, development, construction, and operation.

TotalEnergies will serve as the operator of the offshore project, leveraging its expertise in the management of offshore wind and marine energy projects.

It will continue undertaking the required studies to reach a final investment decision by early 2029.

TotalEnergies chair and CEO Patrick Pouyanné said: “We are very proud to have won this tender for the construction of the largest renewable energy park in France to date. It embodies Total’s transformation into TotalEnergies in France. This project will be the largest investment made by TotalEnergies in France in decades and reflects our company’s deep commitment to our country.

“As a longstanding player in Normandy, we are determined to mobilise our expertise to ensure this project is an industrial success while securing its acceptance by the region. We will work to support the local industrial ecosystem, which has already developed skills through the first offshore wind projects currently being installed. Finally, this project strengthens our development in green electricity production to offer competitive prices to our French customers.” 

The project involves an estimated €4.5bn investment and is expected to create strong local economic benefits for Normandy, stated TotalEnergies.

Up to 2,500 jobs will be created during the three-year construction phase.

Last year in October, RWE teamed up with TotalEnergies to develop two offshore wind projects with a combined capacity of 4GW off the German coast.