The call for tenders for the second offshore wind farm off Calvados will be launched by the end of the year, according to a decision published Friday in the Official Journal.
"A competitive bidding procedure will be launched in 2022 with a view to awarding the second offshore wind farm located in the 'Centre-Manche' zone with a power of up to around 1,5 gigawatts", indicates the OJ which publishes this decision dated August 9 and signed by the Minister of Energy Transition, Agnès Pannier-Runacher.
Called "Centre-Manche 2", the area concerned for the establishment of this park covers an area of 270 km2, located in an exclusive economic zone a few tens of km from the north-eastern tip of the Cotentin.
The specifications for this project "will in particular provide for the obligation for the winner to study the conditions of cohabitation with fishing within the wind farm, during the operating phase, within the limits permitted by the safety requirements of the maritime navigation and safety of goods and people", according to the OJ.
Coastal fishermen in the Channel have expressed their opposition on several occasions in recent years to these offshore wind power plants, of which they fear in particular the effects on fish and shellfish and therefore on the economic future of their businesses.
"Dialogue with all stakeholders interested in the project, including those in professional fishing, will be continued in the various existing bodies, in particular within the Maritime Council of the Channel-East-North Sea coast, particularly with regard to environmental studies and the coexistence of uses", according to the decision reported by the OJ.
"A consultation and monitoring body (...) will be set up when the project is awarded, notably involving elected officials, associations, professionals and the general public", specifies the text.
Much closer to the coast, the first Center-Manche offshore wind project, located about ten km off Courseulles-sur-Mer (Calvados), and whose construction began in February 2021, must include 64 wind turbines for a power of 450 megawatts. With an area of 50 km2, it is supposed to enter service in 2024.
Last February, Emmanuel Macron announced the objective of providing France with around fifty offshore wind farms to "target 40 gigawatts in service by 2050".
