French energy major TotalEnergies has been awarded the Centre Manche 2 offshore wind tender, a milestone that will see the company develop France’s largest renewable energy project to date. Originally bid alongside German utility RWE, the consortium has since shifted, with RWE stepping away and TotalEnergies committing to carry the project forward on its own while seeking a new partner. The 1.5 GW offshore wind farm represents both the company’s biggest investment in France in decades and a symbolic marker of its transition from oil and gas to integrated clean energy.

Scope and Strategic Framework

The Centre Manche 2 wind farm will be located more than 40 kilometres off the Normandy coast. Once operational, the facility is expected to generate around 6 TWh of renewable electricity annually, enough to power more than one million households. The winning bid, set at €66 per MWh, provides long-term revenue certainty while signalling the competitiveness of offshore wind in France’s energy mix.

The project, valued at €4.5 billion, is scheduled for a final investment decision by early 2029, with commercial operations planned for 2033. TotalEnergies has emphasised that, despite RWE’s exit, it will deliver on all commitments made under the tender and bring in a replacement partner to strengthen execution capacity.

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Economic and Environmental Impact

The construction phase is expected to create up to 2,500 jobs, generating significant economic activity across Normandy’s coastal communities. Beyond employment, the project represents a long-term investment in French energy independence, reducing reliance on fossil fuel imports while anchoring the country’s offshore wind supply chain.

TotalEnergies has committed €45 million to measures aimed at avoiding, reducing, and offsetting environmental impacts, alongside a further €15 million contribution to a biodiversity fund in Normandy. The project also sets ambitious recycling targets, with at least 95 percent of turbine blades, towers, and nacelles to be reused or repurposed, and a full 100 percent of generator magnets recycled. These commitments reflect growing industry emphasis on closing material loops and reducing the lifecycle footprint of renewable infrastructure.

Corporate Governance and Transparency

For TotalEnergies, the tender victory aligns with its broader transformation strategy, which seeks to balance its traditional oil and gas operations with large-scale investments in renewables and electricity. Chairman and CEO Patrick Pouyanné framed the project as the company’s largest French investment in decades, underscoring its national importance and corporate accountability.

The governance plan also integrates biodiversity safeguards, stakeholder engagement, and transparency in environmental monitoring, signalling to regulators and communities that the project will align with France’s broader sustainability commitments under the EU Green Deal. The recycling pledges, in particular, demonstrate an effort to set higher standards for circularity in offshore wind, an area where scrutiny is growing.

Challenges to Scaling

Despite its size and ambition, the Centre Manche 2 project faces significant hurdles. Offshore wind projects in Europe continue to encounter lengthy permitting timelines, complex grid integration requirements, and supply chain pressures. With a final investment decision not expected until 2029, cost inflation and policy uncertainty could affect project economics. The need to identify and secure a new consortium partner also introduces a layer of execution risk.

Beyond technical and financial barriers, stakeholder engagement will remain critical. Offshore wind projects in France have historically faced opposition from local communities, fishermen, and environmental groups, requiring proactive management to avoid delays.

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Future Outlook

If successfully delivered, the Centre Manche 2 wind farm will mark a turning point for France’s offshore wind industry, establishing scale and signalling that the country can compete with more mature markets such as the UK and Germany. For TotalEnergies, the project provides both reputational and strategic capital, reinforcing its role as a diversified energy company positioned for the net-zero transition.

The company’s commitment to biodiversity funds, recycling targets, and local economic benefits strengthens the project’s broader ESG credentials. However, the decade-long timeline underscores that even flagship renewable projects require sustained political, financial, and social support to come to fruition. The outcome will serve as a test case for how France balances its ambitious renewable energy goals with the realities of infrastructure delivery at scale.

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