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.
EU fury as France set to face legal battle from Belgium for Eiffel tower-sized wind farm
Belgium has threatened to sue France for it’s proposal to build a wind farm as high as the Eiffel Tower off the coast of De Panne. Mayor of De Panne Bran Degreick has hit out at France’s eco-friendly plans as the imposing wind farm will restrict views of the horizon and upset homeowners who bought a house for the ocean view. Belgian Justice minister Vincent van Quickenborne said: “A complaint will be lodged with the European Commission because our country . . . Complete story »
New rules could make it harder to install wind turbines in France
New rules restricting areas in which wind turbines can operate and giving mayors increased powers of refusal will make it more difficult to install new wind turbines in France. The defence ministry decreed on June 18 that wind turbines must now be installed at least 70km away from military radars, instead of 30km as previously. The ministry said the new rule had been introduced to stop wind turbines scrambling radar signals. It means that new installations will have to be . . . Complete story »
French wind farm causes storm in Belgium
Belgium is to take legal action against France over plans for an offshore wind farm that it says will damage its hopes of reopening a post-Brexit ferry line across to Britain. The scheme, which involves placing 46 turbines as high as the Eiffel Tower off Dunkirk, has infuriated the Belgian authorities, who accuse France of a high-handed dismissal of their concerns. The row has done nothing to enhance France’s reputation in Belgium, where football fans celebrated the French team’s elimination . . . Complete story »
Belgium to sue France for getting in the way of its massive post-Brexit project with UK
Belgium is to take legal action against France over plans for an offshore wind farm that is expected to damage hopes of a major post-Brexit project. The Belgian authorities said the plans to build 46 turbines as high of the Eiffel Tower off Dunkirk puts a spanner in the works for the creation of a new ferry route to Britain. They have accused the French of a high-handed dismissal of their concerns in the row that threatens to wreck relations . . . Complete story »
French fishermen attempt to blockade wind farm installation vessel
Last week, after a coordinated social media campaign to raise support for an anti-wind-farm movement, a flotilla of French fishing vessels surrounded the offshore support vessel Aethra at a position near the future Saint-Brieuc wind installation. The Aethra was off the coast of Brittany, conducting repair work on electrical cables for connecting the future wind farm to the shoreside grid. She reported the disturbance, and French maritime agency Premar Atlantique mobilized the patrol boat Trieux and the Marine Nationale training . . . Complete story »
Vessel forced to leave French offshore wind farm after protests turn ugly
Trenching support vessel Aethra was forced to leave the Saint-Brieuc offshore wind farm after the local fishermen protesting the project breached several safety protocols and verbally threatened the safety of the captain and the crew. The Aethra was deployed on the site when a large number of fishing boats surrounded the vessel. The fishermen then proceeded to breach the 500-metre safety zone around the Aethra, fire distress flares, and threaten to board the vessel and sabotage the propulsion and hurl . . . Complete story »
French fishermen corner construction vessel at Saint-Brieuc
French fishing vessels have once again surrounded a construction vessel working at Saint-Brieuc offshore wind farm site in France. Protesting against the project, around 30 fishing vessels have cornered and are circling Assodivers’ construction support vessel Aethra which has been clearing boulders and performing pre-cutting trenches ahead of array cable installation at the site. A French warship arrived on site in order to manage the situation. Just last month a similar demonstration took place with the Van Oord’s jack-up vessel . . . Complete story »
French senators give mayors right to veto wind turbine projects
Senators adopted an amendment Friday (18 June) giving municipalities the right to veto a wind turbine project as part of the currently debated Climate and Resilience Law. EURACTIV France reports. Following a stormy debate, senators voted in favour of mayors obtaining the right to veto wind farm projects with the aim of promoting “social acceptability of wind farms, with a view to ensuring harmonious development, i.e. more in tune with the territories and their inhabitants”. According to conservative Les Républicains . . . Complete story »
Iberdrola halts work at Saint-Brieuc due to ‘oil leak’
Iberdrola has had to pause foundation work at its 496MW Saint-Brieuc wind farm off Brittany, France, after a jack-up vessel drilling and installing foundation piles at the site leaked hydraulic fluid into the sea. The incident occurred while the Van Oord vessel Aeolus was drilling the second set of boreholes as part of a piling campaign. A technical problem caused 170 litres of Panolin HLP Synth hydraulic fluid – a biodegradable fluid used for underwater applications – to leak from . . . Complete story »
Work on Iberdrola offshore wind farm stopped over oil leak allegations
Construction work on the Saint-Brieuc wind farm in Brittany, France has been paused due to allegations of an oil leak from an offshore installation vessel. The vessel has been carrying out drilling work for the €2.4 billion (£2.1bn) project. The French coast guard agency Prefecture Maritime Atlantique said: “On 14th June at 6.30 am the offshore vessel AEOLUS declared a 100-litre oil leak. “The pollution, first observed by the Cleanseanet satellite, then confirmed by a Customs plane. Faced with this . . . Complete story »
