GDF Suez, VINCI and CDC submit bids for offshore wind energy in France

GDF SUEZ VINCI Offshore Wind Consortium bids for French offshore wind zones, leveraging renewable energy expertise, turbine partners AREVA and Siemens, and local supply chain development to create jobs and build an integrated industrial base.

GDF Suez SA, VINCI and CDC Infrastructure have submitted their bids to the government to develop offshore wind energy, further to a call for tenders covering an expanse off the coast of France, encompassing 3,000 MW of wind energy, from 2015.

GDF SUEZ, VINCI and CDC Infrastructure are bidding on four of the five zones identified by the State as holding offshore wind potential for development, including: Courseulles-sur-Mer Calvados, Dieppe-Le Treport Seine-Maritime, Somme, Fecamp Seine-Maritime and Saint-Brieuc Cotes d'Armor.

GDF SUEZ, VINCI and CDC Infrastructure will combine their complementary knowledge in renewable energies and the construction of major infrastructures, to put forth the best bid, as France plans to tender 600 offshore turbines nationwide, whether with regard to economics, energy and environment. The consortium will furthermore draw upon a number of major and recognized industrial partners, and on its New Brunswick wind farm experience, in designing and producing offshore wind farms: AREVA and SIEMENS.

The consortium estimates that 80 of the business generated by the offshore wind farm market will be able to be developed in France, thus contributing to the economic development of the related regions and the creation of a full-fledged training sector. The resulting jobs, necessarily local, will be in wind farm construction and the subsequent operation, while France also looks to hydropower to achieve its targets.

Gerard Mestrallet, CEO of GDF SUEZ, stated: "GDF SUEZ is a central figure in renewable energies. The Group, leader in wind energy in France, wish to bring with its partners all of its expertise as an integrated energy generation expert in order to develop this ambitious offshore wind project and contribute to the emergence of a French industrial chain".

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