French company finds compatriot partner to deliver Raz Blanchard tidal farm

Building on the successful tidal turbine demonstration at the Paimpol-Bréhat test site, HydroQuest partnered up with Qair Marine, a subsidiary of head company Qair dedicated to the development of marine renewable energy projects, to deliver the Raz Blanchard pilot tidal farm.

The partnership will see Qair Marine taking charge of the financial aspects for the project dubbed FloWatt, whose major ambition is to contribute to reaching commercial-scale deployment of tidal energy by 2030, according to HydroQuest.

The project meets a dual objective – to demonstrate the various advantages of tidal energy, but also to accelerate the industrialisation of this novel form of clean energy in France and Europe as a whole.

The commissioning of the FloWatt pilot tidal farm is scheduled for 2025, subject to the support of the Investments for the Future programme, operated by the French Environment and Energy Management Agency (ADEME).

The programme aim to foster innovation and the create non-relocatable jobs in sectors with strong potential for the French economy.

The pilot farm at Raz Blanchard will be operated over a period of 20 years and is expected to produce 40 million kWh/year, which is equivalent to the electricity consumption of 20,000 people, according to project partners.

All project management will be carried out in France, from the manufacture of machines to their maintenance, including electrical connection works, according to HydroQuest.

The construction and assembly of tidal turbines for the project, starting from 2023, has been entrusted HydroQuest’s industrial partner and main shareholder CMN (Constructions Mécaniques de Normandie).

The pilot farm will feature HydroQuest’s new double vertical axis turbines, said to be lighter and more competitive than earlier versions, with nominal power of 2.5MW.

Composite rotors, as well as gravity foundations, are also planned to be built in France, which is expected to see greater mobilization of the local marine renewable energy sector and creation of many direct and indirect jobs during the development and operation of the project.

The FloWatt project partners said they will start working with local authorities as early as possible to secure the necessary support for the project, along with relevant associations to ensure the project has minimal environmental impacts.

HyroQuest and Qair Marine are also looking to establish scientific and academic collaborations with entities such as University of Caen Normandie, Ifremer, and Énergie de la Lune to better understand the specific environment of the Raz Blanchard, in order to optimize the design and improve the efficiency of tidal turbines.

Also, the partners revealed they plan to launch a crowdfunding campaign for the public, meant to encourage them to participate in the development of renewable energy projects and energy transition movement, while also directly benefitting from the economic gains generated locally.

The development of tidal energy is strongly supported by the European Union, which set a target of 100MW of ocean energy in service by 2025, and 1GW by 2030.

The Raz Blanchard site, a strait that runs between Alderney and Cap de la Hague, is one of the most energetic tidal stream sites in the world, with a potential for extraction of 3GW of energy, out of the 3.5GW of total potential available in France.

The Normandy Region is aiming for 1,400GWh of annual electricity production from ocean energy from 2030. This means the region would need around 500MW of installed capacity in service in order to produce electricity for around 300,000 households.