French energy specialist DCNS and a fund managed by Bpifrance have formed DCNS Energies, a turnkey constructor of marine renewable energy (MRE) plants for the French and export markets.
DCNS Energies, majority owned by DCNS and 36% by the SPI fund (“Société de Projets Industriels” / Industrial Projects Company) of Bpifrance, will devote its activity to the industrial and commercial development of three technologies for the production of electricity from MREs: offshore wind energy via semi-submersible floats, tidal turbine power, and ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC).
The new company intends to mature these three MRE technologies before moving on to the industrial phase in the near future.
It will be backed by an industrial partnership through the stake in the company acquired by Technip, which will bring its expertise in the engineering and management of complex projects in the marine environment. The company is also backed by BNP Paribas Développement.
In addition to the contributions in terms of industrial facilities and intellectual property of DCNS, the four shareholders will provide a total of EUR 100 million in equity for DCNS Energies, which will also use financial leverage.
“The creation of DCNS Energies is part of our strategic action plan, one of whose aims is to apply our technical expertise and generate growth in the employment areas of DCNS in France,” Hervé Guillou, Chairman and CEO of DCNS, said.
”By positioning ourselves in the fast-emerging market of MREs, the partnership with Bpifrance, Technip and BNP Paribas will allow us to develop a French sector that creates jobs and added value on a global scale. I am convinced that DCNS Energies will successfully meet the technological and commercial challenges of the sector and achieve its ambition to become a world leader in the marine renewable energies industry.“
In July, the French Environment and Energy Management Agency (ADEME) approved two floating wind pilot projects, one of them being a 24MW project in the Groix area in Brittany to be developed by a joint venture including Eolfi, CGN, DCNS and Vinci.
In the past few years, DCNS has taken part in the US Aqua Ventus project in Maine and partnered with GE on developing a floating offshore wind system featuring the 6MW Haliade wind turbine on a DCNS floating platform.
In 2013, DCNS and Nass&Wind completed the Winflo demonstrator design phase and were planning to deploy a small-scale demonstrator with a 1MW turbine, while the final device planned by manufacturers would have had a capacity of about 5MW. However, the developers decided to reconsider the project the following year.