EolMed Partners Launch French Floating Wind Pilot Project

The EolMed floating wind pilot project in southern France has been energized, as reported by Qair, which is collaborating with TotalEnergies and BW Ideol on the initiative.

Qair announced on April 21 via social media that this milestone signifies the beginning of crucial technical testing, setting the stage for full commissioning and the initial generation of renewable electricity to be introduced into the grid.

The 30 MW floating offshore wind farm, situated approximately 20 kilometers from the shores of Port-La Nouvelle and Gruissan, operates in water depths of about 60 meters and includes three Vestas V164-10.0 MW wind turbines mounted on BW Ideol's Damping Pool floating foundations.

The first of these floating wind turbines departed from Port-La Nouvelle for the project site in December 2025.

EolMed received all necessary approvals in February 2021 and achieved financial closure in March 2022 after securing EUR 85 million in funding from the European Investment Bank (EIB).

Construction of the floating foundations commenced in Spring 2023 at Port-La Nouvelle, marked by the arrival of the initial steel blocks for the three substructures. Later that year, Bourbon Subsea Services installed a floating electrical hub (FEH) at the EolMed pilot wind farm location.

The EolMed project progressed into its final phase with the start of maritime operations in August 2025, which included the installation of anchors and anchor lines, followed by the launching of floaters and the integration of wind turbines onto the foundations in September of the previous year.