Ocean Winds (OW), the offshore wind joint venture of EDP Renewables and ENGIE, has completed installation of the third and final turbine for its Éoliennes Flottantes du Golfe du Lion (EFGL) project off the coast of southern France, making EFGL the first floating offshore wind farm in the Occitanie region to complete offshore turbine installation.
Developed with Banque des Territoires, EFGL consists of three Vestas V164-10 MW turbines mounted on floating foundations. The units were assembled at Port-La Nouvelle before being towed 16 kilometres offshore. Grid connection works, carried out by French transmission operator RTE, are currently underway.
According to OW, the project marks a critical step for floating wind, a technology enabling deployment in deeper waters with stronger wind resources. OW highlighted EFGL as both a national first for France and a global example of the technology’s progress toward commercial scale. The company drew on its experience developing WindFloat Atlantic, a 25 MW project operating in Portugal since 2019.
EFGL has also set a precedent in environmental integration, becoming the first floating wind farm worldwide to incorporate artificial marine habitats – known as Biohuts – designed to support biodiversity at sea. This approach adds a nature-inclusive dimension to floating wind development, combining clean energy generation with ecosystem benefits.
The achievement is expected to pave the way for larger projects, including the 250 MW Eoliennes Flottantes d’Occitanie (EFLO), awarded to Ocean Winds and its partners in late 2024.
