France lags behind in marine renewable energies

The announcement of Naval Energies announced on Thursday that it will end its activities in tidal turbines is the latest setback in the marine energy sector, which has multiplied its ups and downs in recent years. The subsidiary of Naval Group (formerly DCNS) considered that the market finally offered insufficient prospects, particularly in France, to maintain this activity and its Cherbourg plant, inaugurated only a few weeks ago.

" The contacts we had with the authorities showed that there was nothing to expect from significant " in the future energy roadmap that the government must finalize by the end of the year, explained a spokesman for Naval Energies. It is in this document that the government must set the objectives for the deployment of the different energies by 2023 and 2028.

An unprofitable industry?

At the Ministry of Ecological Transition, we confirm: " studies show that the tidal stream is not yet at the stage of industrial development, that technology does not work enough good for a large-scale development ". The question now arises of the future of the pilot fleet that Naval Energies
was to launch with EDF at raz Blanchard, one of the areas with the greatest potential in the world.

In 2017, Engie and General Electric, partners for another park in the same area, had already thrown in the towel.

The Breton Sabella remains engaged

But other more specialized actors remain committed, like Breton Sabella, including the tidal turbine, again tested in a few weeks near the island of Ouessant (Finistère), is the only one to date to have injected current on the network. The government prefers to concentrate its efforts, especially financial, on the offshore wind, already widely developed in northern Europe, and floating, whose players also gnaw their brake.

The first offshore wind farms posed , winners of tenders in 2012 and 2014, have still not emerged, due to very long administrative procedures, and remain suspended in appeals. In recent months, the government has also renegotiated contracts, with 15 billion euros in savings over 20 years.

In a few years, the political speech extolling the creation of a French industrial sector took the water

Areva and Alstom, who developed wind turbines, saw their technology redeemed, respectively by German Siemens and the American General Electric. Only a part of the industrial sites promised at the time, in Saint-Nazaire, Cherbourg or Le Havre, came out of the ground because of the delays of the projects. The industry is waiting for the conclusion of a third tender for a park off Dunkirk.

Despite an "extraordinary" potential

In the floating wind turbine (the wind turbines are installed on floats), the actors are still waiting for a first commercial call for tenders, promised under the presidency of François Hollande, but never launched . " For the moment we are quite worried: what we understand is that the less mature energies are put in question but (…) it would be a pity if we lose the lead that we have "says Marion Lettry of the Renewable Energy Union (SER).

France is indeed a good figure so far in the floating wind. Four pilot parks are under development, including one involving Naval Energies (alongside the specialized company Eolfi), which places the country " in the center of the world " of this energy, notes Antoine Rabain, energy expert marine. He is also rather confident, despite the slowness, because of a potential " extraordinary " in the world, he estimates at 3,500 gigawatts, " is three times more than the offshore wind "

" We wanted to deal with the problems of the past (…) put everything back flat and that is perhaps why the actors have the feeling that we drag a little ", we recognize the ministry.