Statkraft signs wind power purchase agreement with RWE in France

Across the whole contract life Statkraft will conduct power sales and provide capacity guarantee management services. In periods with negative prices, Statkraft’s remote plant control technology will come into play to automatically stop feeding power to the grid.

The Les Pierrots wind farm is RWE’s first move into the French market. Located in the Centre-Val de Loire region, this 26.4-megawatt (MW) wind project powers the equivalent of more than 15,000 homes. The wind farm is injecting electricity into the national grid under the Government’s “Complément de Rémunération” subsidy scheme.

Laurent Talbot, Head of Sales and New products, France, Statkraft, says of the deal: “We’re delighted to collaborate with RWE on such an important milestone project for the company. Based on this first collaboration, we look forward to forging a long-term relationship with them, to help manage future assets as their portfolio expands.”

Joseph Fonio, Country Chair RWE Renouvelables France, says: “The expansion of renewable energy is a crucial factor for a successful green transition in France. Together with Statkraft, we strive to advance this transition. With the signing of the PPA with our strong partner Statkraft we demonstrate our ability to support electricity suppliers in providing CO2-free power to their customers.”

RWE acquired a European onshore wind and solar development pipeline with a total installed capacity of 2.7 gigawatts (GW) in 2020. The bulk of the new portfolio - 1.9 GW - is based in France. Besides Les Pierrots, two other wind farms, Les Hauts Bouleaux (18 MW) and Martinpuich (15 MW), are currently under construction, with commissioning planned for 2022.

Today wind power generates only a small fraction (9 per cent) of electricity in France. A poll conducted in October this year, on behalf of ADEME and France’s Ministry of Ecological Transition, found that the general population is overwhelmingly supportive of wind power development. Almost three quarters (73 per cent) of those surveyed have a positive perception to wind energy. This positive figure jumps to 80 per cent for those living within 10 kilometers of a wind farm. Further, the study found that 85 per cent of people surveyed deemed the development of renewable energies necessary in the face of climate change.

France’s multi-year energy plan, known by its French acronym, PPE, outlines their intent to increase the installed capacity from onshore wind power to 33.2 – 34.7 GW by end of 2028.