The government is allocating nearly €260 million to adapt five French ports for floating wind power.

The Government has selected five French ports to receive public support for the development of floating offshore wind farms. The aid, totaling nearly €260 million, will be allocated under the France 2030 investment program.

The projects concern the platforms of Cherbourg, Brest, Nantes–Saint-Nazaire, Port-La Nouvelle and Marseille Fos. Their distribution should allow for industrial and logistical capacities to be available on the English Channel, Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts, close to future offshore wind development areas.

Docks and embankments adapted to large-sized components

The subsidies must finance part of the infrastructure needed for the manufacturing, storage, handling and assembly of floating wind turbine components.

The announced operations include the construction or reinforcement of quays, the development of reclaimed land, and the adaptation of access roads. These structures must withstand significant loads and allow the movement of large floats, masts, blades, and turbines.

According to the Ministry of Energy, cumulative port investments are expected to reach approximately €1 billion. State aid must therefore complement a broader program, also financed by port operators and their partners.

To accommodate the manufacturing and assembly of the floats

The objective is to enable the selected ports to host manufacturing and assembly units for the floats, as well as the integration operations for the wind turbines before they are sent to sea.

Unlike fixed-bottom wind turbines, whose foundations are anchored to the seabed, floating wind turbines rest on structures held in place by mooring lines. The turbines can be assembled at the dock before the entire structure is towed to its operating site.

This organization requires deep-draft quays, extensive storage areas, and equipment capable of handling heavy and bulky components. The availability of this infrastructure is therefore a determining factor in the costs, schedule, and industrial location of future parks.

Five ports spread across the French coastline

The selected sites must meet the needs of projects planned in several maritime areas:

• Cherbourg, in Normandy, for the English Channel coast;
• Brest, in Brittany, for the Atlantic and Channel projects;
• Nantes–Saint-Nazaire, on the Atlantic coast;
• Port-La Nouvelle, in Occitanie, for the Gulf of Lion;
• Marseille Fos, in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, for Mediterranean projects.

Beyond the construction of infrastructure, the State seeks to strengthen the attractiveness of these platforms to industrialists in the value chain: manufacturers of floats and components, assembly companies, logistics providers and maintenance providers.

A change of scale for floating wind power

Port investments must accompany future French tenders. The tenth tender for offshore wind power, the specifications of which were published in June 2026, covers eleven projects representing approximately 10 GW, divided equally between fixed-bottom and floating wind power.

These projects include floating zones off the coast of Brittany, in the Gulf of Lion, and off Fos. Their implementation requires the availability of suitable port facilities several years before the parks become operational.

The third multi-year energy program sets an overall target of approximately 15 GW of installed offshore wind power by 2035, then 45 GW by 2050. The ministry also indicates that it aims for 6 GW of floating wind power in operation by 2040.

The development of this sector should contribute to increasing low-carbon electricity production and reducing France's exposure to imports and the volatility of fossil fuel prices. Adapting ports is one of the industrial prerequisites for this ramp-up.