Montpellier and Paris, October 7th, 2020
Invited by Qair, majority shareholder and historical developer of the project, Total has just subscribed to a capital increase to hold a 20% stake in the Eolmed floating wind farm pilot project located in the Occitanie region, off the coast of Gruissan and near Port-La-Nouvelle.
Together with Qair and its partners, Total brings its experience in the conception, deployment and operation of offshore installations throughout their life cycle.
Awarded in July 2016 to the consortium led by Qair Marine at the end of the call for projects launched by the ADEME[1], as part of the Future Investment Program (PIA), this project, consisting of three MHI Vestas turbines with a capacity of 30 MW, will demonstrate the maturity and competitiveness of floating wind turbine technology, particularly in view of the commercial tenders announced in the Multiannual Energy Program.
Supported by the ADEME, EolMed also benefits from its local partners’ expertise and support as they are anchored in the Occitanie Region: the regional agency for Energy and Climate in Occitanie (AREC), Crédit Agricole Languedoc Energies Nouvelles (CALEN), the urban community Grand Narbonne, the semi-public company for renewable energy production (SEMPER) and the company Amidéole.
While offshore wind energy has so far developed mainly in shallow water, by installing wind turbines directly on the sea bottom, floating offshore wind energy is expected to experience strong growth in the coming years. This emerging technology has high potential, as it allows access to sites at great depths or further from the coasts and to take advantage of otherwise unexploitable wind resources, with less impact on the landscape.
Louis Blanchard, CEO of Qair stated: “The Eolmed project is at the heart of the Occitanie Region’s strategy for the development of renewable energies, actively supported by local partners. It also demonstrates Qair’s ambition to become a major player in floating offshore wind energy in Europe. By joining forces with a renowned French industrial partner for this innovative project developed by our teams since 2016, Qair is strengthening its technical expertise for the realisation of the Eolmed project and for future floating wind projects.”
“This announcement once again demonstrates the Group’s ambition and willingness to innovate in the field of renewable energies. Floating offshore wind is a very promising segment in which Total notably brings its extensive experience in offshore projects. Together with our partner Qair, we have the necessary resources to meet the technological and financial challenges that will determine our future success. I am delighted that Total can contribute to the emergence of this new sector in France”, added Julien Pouget, Director Renewables of Total.
About Qair
Qair is an independent producer of exclusively renewable energy, which has been developing, constructing and operating wind, solar and hydroelectric projects on its own account for over 30 years. Qair’s teams are present in 15 countries in Europe, Latin America, Africa and Asia. In France, Qair operates the only offshore wind turbine (Vestas – 2 MW), installed as part of the FloatGen project in Le Croisic since the end of 2018. www.qair.energy
Total, renewables and electricity
As part of its ambition to get to net zero by 2050,Total is building a portfolio of activities in electricity, renewable in particular, that could account for up to 40% of its sales by 2050. By the end of 2020, Total’s gross power generation capacity worldwide will be around 12 gigawatts, including about 7 gigawatts of renewable energy. With the objective of reaching 35 GW of production capacity from renewable sources by 2025, Total will continue to expand its business to become one of the world leaders in renewable energies.
About Total
Total is a broad energy company that produces and markets fuels, natural gas and electricity. Our 100,000 employees are committed to better energy that is more affordable, more reliable, cleaner and accessible to as many people as possible. Active in more than 130 countries, our ambition is to become the responsible energy major.
About ADEME
Here at ADEME – the French Environment & Energy Management Agency, responsible for the energy transition in France – we are firmly committed to fighting global warming and the depletion of our natural resources. On all fronts, we mobilise citizens, economic actors and territories towards a fairer, more harmonious, low carbon and resource-efficient society. Whatever the field – energy, air, circular economy, food, waste disposal, soils, etc. – we advise, facilitate and help finance many projects, from research to solutions sharing. At every level, our expertise and forecasting capacities serve to guide and inform public policies. ADEME is a public agency under the joint authority of the Ministry for an Ecological Transition and the Ministry for Higher Education, Research and Innovation. More at www.ademe.fr or @ademe.
About AREC Occitanie :
As a public agency of the Occitanie Region, AREC crafts energy transition solutions for the territories.
The Agency strives to provide stakeholders with adapted solutions, whether turnkey or specific, taylored to contexts of the actors in the territories of Occitanie. Being neutral, AREC carries an objective vision on the solutions. A trusted third party for the territorial actors and serving the general interest, the added value of the AREC lays in its unique support along the whole value chain of the energy transition: from upstream to the realization and financing of the projects.
www.arec-occitanie.fr
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Contacts Qair :
Media Relations : Julie DARDELET – Comm’On Agency – +33(0)6 33 85 96 83 – julie@commonagency.fr
Contacts Total
Media Relations: +33 1 47 44 46 99 presse@total.com l @TotalPress
Investor Relations: +44 (0)207 719 7962 ir@total.com
[1] French Environment and Energy Management Agency