EDF to build three offshore wind farms in French tender

Apr 6, 2012 - French electricity group EDF (EPA:EDF) together with heavy engineering specialist Alstom (EPA:ALO) won the contract for the construction of three offshore wind farms, Energy Minister Eric Besson said on Friday.
The official information confirmed previous media reports that EDF and its partners are the big winners in the tenders for the building of five wind farms offshore Brittany and Normandy, in northernwestern France.
In particular, the consortium led by EDF won the call for tenders for the Saint-Nazaire, Courseulles-sur-Mer and Fecamp projects, corresponding to 1,500 MW of new installed capacity. The projects will create some 7,500 direct and indirect jobs.
Meanwhile, Spanish energy company Iberdrola (MCE:IBE) and its British partner RES and French turbine maker Areva (EPA:AREVA) won the contract for a 500-MW farm off the Saint-Brieuc coast in Brittany.
The contractor for the fifth wind farm, located at Le Treport, will be selected within another tender to be launched in the second half of the year, Besson pointed out.
French utility GDF Suez (EPA:GSZ) appears to be the big loser in the tender. It was bidding for four out of the five contracts, but failed to win any.

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