New winds blow for French offshore sector

France is stepping up its offshore wind research effort as it seeks to develop a sector that has grown behind those of several other European countries, with a power system still overwhelmingly dominated by nuclear generation.

Specialist research and innovation institute for offshore wind France Energies Marines has approved €10 million for four new research and innovation projects involving 33 public and private partners. The projects are due to launch immediately and will address technical, environmental and operational issues affecting both fixed-bottom and floating offshore wind.

While countries such as the UK, Germany and Denmark have built substantial offshore wind industries, France’s electricity system has long been underpinned by its nuclear fleet.

According to French grid operator RTE, nuclear power accounted for 68.1% of French electricity generation in 2025, with nuclear plants producing 373TWh. France had around 63GW of nuclear generating capacity, while total electricity generation was 547.5TWh.

Offshore wind is a mere fledgling. RTE recorded 1.9GW of offshore wind capacity at the end of 2025, producing 5.7TWh during the year.

The four projects

The new France Energies Marines programme to address some of the technical and environmental challenges that come with scaling up the industry, responding to ‘key technical, environmental and societal challenges faced by the offshore wind sector’.

The ACT NOW project will focus on the cumulative environmental effects of offshore wind farms and other human activities. It will turn modelling tools developed by France Energies Marines over more than a decade into methodologies and software that can be used by industry for environmental assessments and decision-making.

For floating wind, the GLAMOOR project will examine the durability of synthetic-fibre mooring lines. Polyamide 6 ropes are increasingly being considered for permanent mooring applications because of their low weight, ease of installation and damping properties. However, the organisation says questions remain about their long-term degradation in seawater and their mechanical and fatigue performance.

The QUANTUM project will examine the biological colonisation of offshore wind structures. It will develop standardised monitoring protocols and databases, as well as automated image analysis to identify species living on submerged structures.

Finally, TULIP will address atmospheric turbulence and its importance to offshore wind turbine loads and energy production. The project will develop software for obtaining turbulence-intensity measurements from fixed and floating lidar systems, with accuracy intended to meet industry standards and provide confidence to offshore wind financiers.

“At a time of energy security challenges and increasingly visible impacts of climate change, the large-scale deployment of renewable energy is essential,” said Jean-François Filipot, scientific director of France Energies Marines. “The collaborative projects are accelerating the development of offshore wind by improving the competitiveness of wind farms, enhancing the reliability of wind energy systems, and strengthening the integration of these technologies within marine ecosystems and the wider socio-economic environment.”