Wind Power News: France
These news and opinion items are gathered by National Wind Watch to help keep readers informed about developments related to industrial wind energy. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions of National Wind Watch. They are the products of and owned by the organizations or individuals noted and are shared here according to “fair use” and “fair dealing” provisions of copyright law.
Echauffour. Le parc éolien est mis à l’arrêt par décision préfectorale
[Echauffour wind turbines shut down] À l’issue de la réunion de médiation organisée vendredi 22 janvier 2021 par la sous-préfète d’Argentan, la mise à l’arrêt du parc éolien d’Echauffour a été décidée. Une première ! Après deux heures d’une réunion assez tendue et dirigée d’une main de fer par Christine Royer, sous-préfète d’Argentan assurant l’intérim de Mortagne-au-Perche, un soulagement a gagné le collectif des riverains de la zone éolienne d’Echauffour lorsqu’elle a annoncé sa décision de « mettre à l’arrêt le parc . . . Complete story »
France picks zone off Normandy coast for new 1GW windfarm
France has identified a zone off the coast of Normandy for the construction of a 1 Gigawatt (GW) windfarm and launched the tender process for its development, Environment Minister Barbara Pompili said on Saturday. The planned windfarm will be located 32 km (20 miles) off the shore of Cotentin and generate the electricity needed to power 800,000 homes, Pompili said in a statement. It will be France’s eighth offshore wind farm. The government’s current multi-year energy plan targets tenders for . . . Complete story »
French fishermen vow to take direct action to prevent construction of Saint-Brieuc offshore wind farm
French fishermen have declared that they would rather die fighting than allow a fully approved offshore wind farm to be built off Brittany, and have vowed to take direct action to prevent construction. The row has led the French wind industry to write to President Emmanuel Macron, warning that it is being “held hostage to sterile debates’ led by organisations “stirring up false fears’ about renewable energy. Leaders of the local Brittany Regional Fisheries Committee have warned they will stop . . . Complete story »
«Les éoliennes sont un scandale environnemental stupéfiant»
Plus de 2 000 associations se sont créées dans le pays pour protester contre l’implantation d’éoliennes, symbole d’un scandale environnemental et financier malheureusement couvert par les pouvoirs publics, tandis que chaque semaine de nouvelles manifestations apparaissent. Le rassemblement de toutes ses associations est en cours, nous attendons avant 2 ans les inscriptions de plus de 4 000 associations capables désormais de réunir plus de 500 000 citoyens. Depuis des décennies la politique énergétique de notre pays a été un exemple de réussite qui nous . . . Complete story »
British fishermen erupt in fury at Macron as devastating offshore wind farm risks chaos
Emmanuel Macron is facing furious protest from British and French fishermen over the President’s plans to build a huge off-shore wind farm between the two countries. British fishermen are raging against Emmanuel Macron’s plans to launch French offshore wind farms. Fishermen from Jersey have voiced concern that “our fishermen can no longer access huge areas of our own sea, our own water”. Even French fishermen have erupted in anger over the plans, warning Mr Macron that he faces huge protests . . . Complete story »
Scallop fishermen threaten to sink Emmanuel Macron’s wind farm
President Macron’s hopes of launching French offshore wind farms are being threatened by scallop fishermen. Protests could scupper plans to build 62 turbines off Saint-Brieuc in Brittany, which are expected to be operational within three years. “We’ve been nice so far,” Alain Coudray, chairman of the local fishing committee, said. “We are going to be a bit less so from now on. “We have a prolific scallop bed here and we manage it very carefully and we are worried that . . . Complete story »
Huge windfarm project 37km off Jersey’s south coast already having a ‘massive impact’ on fishing
The head of the Fishermen’s Association in Jersey says the loss of French fishing grounds due to a wind farm project off the coast of St Brieuc is putting increased pressure on local fishing grounds. The project, which has been in planning for almost a decade, has now moved into the groundworks testing and manufacturing stage, displacing parts of the French fishing fleet. Under the Granville Bay Treaty, Jersey and French fishermen have access to parts of each other’s waters . . . Complete story »
Iberdrola to invest up to 4 billion euros in French renewable energy
Spanish utility Iberdrola (IBE.MC) said on Wednesday it will invest up to 4 billion euros ($4.5 billion) over the next four years in France to develop renewable energy. Iberdrola said it is already investing 2.4 billion euros in the Saint-Brieuc offshore wind farm in France and plans to invest in new onshore wind, solar photovoltaic and participate in future offshore wind capacity auctions. “France is a strategic country for Iberdrola,” said Ignacio Galán, chairman and CEO of Iberdrola. “The company . . . Complete story »
Éolien: le grand revirement d’Emmanuel Macron | Macron’s reversal on wind
Adoptée par décret le 21 avril, la programmation pluriannuelle de l’énergie (PPE) prévoit d’accélérer le développement, très contesté en France, de l’éolien. Il y a quelques mois pourtant, le président de la République affirmait vouloir freiner son essor. Le vent aurait-il tourné? La feuille de route énergétique de la France à l’horizon 2028 est désormais gravée dans le marbre. Adoptée par décret gouvernemental le 21 avril, la programmation pluriannuelle de l’énergie (PPE) pour 2019-2028 affiche la volonté française de réduire . . . Complete story »
Wind farm ‘disfigures’ Cézanne’s mountain
If Paul Cézanne were alive today, his celebrated pictures of the Montagne Sainte-Victoire in Provence would soon have to include 22 giant wind turbines. Construction began in February after the highest Paris court rejected appeals to block what locals call the “massacre” of the mountain overlooking Aix-en-Provence. The judges accepted arguments that the turbines will barely be visible six miles from the mountain’s peak, but critics disagree and last week appealed to the local court in Toulon for an injunction . . . Complete story »
