The European Commission's Innovation Fund has allocated €51 million to two tidal farms in France's Raz Blanchard, with HydroQuest and Normandie Hydroliennes selected as winners from a pool of 337 applicants.
In the ‘pilots' category, 17 projects have been preselected for funding, and both winning projects are focused on ocean energy. HydroQuest will utilize the funds for its 17.5 MW FloWatt tidal farm, which involves the installation of seven 2.5 MW tidal turbines in partnership with Qair. This project, which has also received support from the French government, is set to go live in 2026 and is projected to provide energy for around 20,000 local homes.
Additionally, Normandie Hydroliennes has secured funding for its 12 MW NH1 tidal farm project, which will feature four 3 MW turbines, making them the most powerful models available. This project is scheduled for completion in 2028 and is expected to generate 33 GWh per year.
This announcement increases the existing pipeline of publicly supported European ocean energy projects by 29 MW over the next five years, bringing the total to 179 MW across 15 projects.
Rémi Gruet, chief executive of Ocean Energy Europe, stated, “These two awards are another proof that tidal has reached technological maturity and is on its way to commercialization. These two farms will be the largest in the world by the time they hit the water. This is further evidence that the French government demonstrated great foresight by supporting tidal energy—and that tidal can become the next French industrial success story.”
