EDF EN wants to boost its presence in the offshore wind sector as part of plans to increase its renewable energy capacity to more than 50GW by 2030. The French-based energy company is looking into China as one the international markets where it could expand.
“We’ve started discussions with some Chinese partners to see whether we will go into offshore wind in China,” Reuters quotes EDF EN CEO Antoine Cahuzac as saying. According to Cahuzac, southern China could especially benefit from offshore wind due to “high power demand and urban density”.
Cahuzac said that EDF EN, which is involved in offshore wind projects in the UK, Belgium and France, has the capacity to operate in the offshore wind industry.
As part of its renewable energy goals, aside from increasing its capacity in Europe, the company eyes Latin America, China, India and sub-Saharan Africa.
In July, EDF EN acquired a majority stake in UPC Asia Wind Management (AWM), which develops and builds wind energy projects in China. The company then said that China is the world’s leading renewable energy market, with strong growth expected in the coming years as the Chinese government aims to reach 200GW in installed wind energy capacity by 2020, with an average increase of 15GW per year.