A criminal complaint to the PNF targets the Calvados offshore wind farm

In a press release, Messrs William Bourdon and Vincent Brengarth announced that they had filed a complaint with the PNF on April 29 against X on the grounds of infringement of freedom of access and equality of candidates in public contracts - also called the offense of favoritism, negligent embezzlement of public funds, and concealment of these offences".

It was filed on behalf of the Departmental Committee for Maritime Fisheries and Marine Farming (CDPMEM) of Calvados.

On Friday, the PNF confirmed having received this complaint, "under internal analysis".

In 2012, Eolien Maritime France (EMF) was awarded the contract for the offshore wind farm in Calvados, off Courseulles-sur-Mer after a call for tenders.

EMF's shareholding was then held by EDF Renewables and the Danish Dong Energy, replaced in 2016 by the Canadian Enbridge which, according to the plaintiffs, "did not have at that date any industrial expertise in the construction or operation of offshore wind farm".

The CDPMEM considers that this "change of participant should have triggered the issuance of a new call for tenders, in that it was likely to degrade the technical capacities implemented on the construction project of the offshore wind farm" .

The plaintiffs also believe that "the absence of reopening of competition prevented any readjustment of the subsidies granted", which should have been, according to the committee, revised downwards, for the benefit of the taxpayer.

The construction of the park has been launched since February 2021.

Composed of 64 wind turbines located more than 10 kilometers from the Normandy coast, it should be commissioned by 2024 and should produce the equivalent of the annual electricity consumption of more than 90% of the population of Calvados, according to the project leaders.

France has fallen behind in the field, but electricity from offshore wind turbines off Saint-Nazaire was produced for the first time in France this week, the operator and manager announced on Friday. of the network.

In 2018, the Council of State dismissed the opponents of the Calvados project, namely five associations campaigning for the protection of the environment or for the registration of the Landing beaches as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.