A company', WPD Offshore France' presented at the end of January, a proposed project for installation of 50 Bay offshore rig wind mills near the Seine, located 8 km off the coast of Normandy

According to the company, the park would make it possible to meet "the electric needs of 70% of the population of Calvados", thanks to 50 turbines of a unit power of 5 MW (250 MW on the whole).

The company known is keen to gain the approval of the population concerned, and in particular of the Norman fishermen:
"We are currently in full dialogue of the project with the fishermen who know the sea and live off it's resources. Today, WPD already carried out about thirty individual discussions with fishermen."

With regard to spacing between the wind mills (800m), the manufacturer expects that certain modes of fishing such as the racks, the set nets or the lines are authorized in the park.

The other task is to determine the more favorable zones and to avoid the dangerous zones. Thus, the principal scallop layers have been isolated right now, just like several well-known zones where trawling is intense.

The park will have to be located 8 km away of the coast, in order to as much as possible limit the impact on the landscape. As soon as the most favorable zone is confirmed, the conciliation work with the elected officials and the populations directly concerned will begin again in order to finalize positioning, the shape of the park but also in order to structure the economic dynamics. For that WPD has created a steering committee including elected, fishermen and administrations.

If all goes well, the wind farm could be born in 2011.

To date, WPD has built more than 1.000 wind mills in the world. The French company should be in charge in 2009 of the creation and the set up of the first German offshore oil rig wind farm.

Sources: www.wpd-offshore.com

Submitted by Francois Le Naoures