Special Issue

NOVEMBER 25 th 2013

A Press Review of The West Normandy Marine Energy Highlights

mer-veille.com - marine-renewables-news.com - energiesdelamer.blogspot.com

EDITORIAL

his Special Issue has been undertaken at the initiative of West Normandy that shares the
Alderney Race Europe's second most powerful tidal stream with the nearby British
Channel Island of Alderney. Our objective is to help you understand better the region
that by the end of this decade will be home to the first tidal turbines to be deployed in France
and some of the first offshore wind-turbines at nearby Courseulles-sur-Mer.
Via these articles you will discover the depth of the political will locally and nationally to put
in place a strong and vibrant French marine renewable energy industry. One hundred and
fifty West Normandy SMEs are wanting to be involved in the sector. There are both skills and
training directories to assist the energy companies and the developers.
This western tip of France has the right industrial infrastructure and experience, with 150
local SMEs already known to be interested in the industry. There are all the necessary
R & D as well as education and training facilities. The ports of Cherbourg-Octeville and CaenOuistreham offer all tide, and all weather access for installation and/or maintenance vessels.
Grid connectivity is already assured.
To encourage and facilitate the creation of the industry in West Normandy the region has
set up West Normandy Marine Energy a limited public company managed by Franois
Piquet and his deputy Graldine Martin. They are your primary point of contact for everything
relating to marine renewables in West Normandy. Their focus is on offering a special welcome
to devices tested in British sites and now interested in using the Alderney Race pilot farms as
a first step towards industrialisation.
Energy policy in France is being increasingly devolved to the regions, away from central
government. West Normandy is now a regional leader in all forms of marine renewables. West
Normandy Marine Energy was set up by the West Normandy region, the General Council of
the Manche department, and Cherbourg Urban Community.
Brigitte Bornemann / Christopher Longmore

STRATEGY & POLITICS

ast week's reports were dominated by the impact of

France generally and West Normandy particularly in
the tidal turbine race at the EU-OEA conference in
Edinburgh.

The idea that the four proposed

pilot tidal turbine farms could
be a kind of extension to EMEC
is a reasonable view, although
doubtless EMEC will keep its
distance. It is however a good
way to test various devices
in array conditions without
having to put dozens in the
water at one go.

DCNS - OpenHydro

Cherbourg has one of the best natural harbours in Europe;

it is seriously under-used and has a massive land bank
that Ports Normands Associs ("PNA") is bringing into play

SUMMARY
Strategy & Politics........ 1
The Agreements

Technology.................. 2

Tidal Turbine
Floating Tidal Turbine
Offshore Wind
Public Debate
SWAC
Tidal Races
The Grid

Ports.......................... 4
Vessel of the future...... 5
B to B......................... 5
Business
Research, Further
education and training.

Franois Piquet

General Delegate for Marine Renewable

Energy - Managing Director.
f.piquet@spl-onem.fr

Graldine Martin
Deputy Director
g.martin@spl-onem.fr
33 (0)261 451 730

urgently. English wind farms are just across the Channel

and no English South Coast port can really rival Cherbourg,
although Poole, Weymouth, and Portland will doubtless get
some work.
Geography always looked to be favouring West Normandy, but
so far we have not mentioned the massively important fact
that it is on the edge of two of the most important tidal current
resources in France - the Alderney and the Barfleur Races.
The former is the second biggest in Europe after Scotland's
Pentland Firth. Not surprisingly, the French industrialists who
have taken such a strong position in the tidal turbine industry,
are all planning to set up shop in Cherbourg.
It was no accident that French President Franois Hollande
chose Cherbourg to make his government's announcement
about tidal pilot farms that are to go ahead in the Alderney
Race (Raz Blanchard) and the Fromveur (between the island
of Ushant and the Brittany mainland). As far as we know,
the following device developers are interested in joining
battle :
NOVEMBER 25th 2013 - p.1/6

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DCNS with Open Hydro
Alstom with the Tidal Generation device
Voith, who has already assembled a device at CMN in
Cherbourg, with the support of GDF Suez
Siemens with Marine Current Turbines ; Siemens has just
signed an agreement with the French energy company
UNITe...
19/11/2013 - www.mer-veille.com/energie-hydrolienne/siemensse-positionne-dans-le-raz-blanchard-13114517

The agreements
Scotland's position as a global leader in marine energy has
been further cemented after a new international accord
with France was signed this afternoon. The co-operation
agreement takes advantage of Scotland's ten years of
expertise in the industry and will allow Scottish companies
to take part in renewables projects in France's fledgling
ocean energy sector.
The
agreement
will
promote collaboration on
the supply chain, research
and development, and
training in wave and tidal
energy. Scottish Energy
Minister Fergus Ewing said :
"I am delighted that the
signing of this co-operation
agreement will increase the opportunity for Scottish companies
to be involved in the supply chain of the future tidal energy
projects in Normandy. It represents an opportunity for greater
partnership, working with a region that has a real interest in
promoting tidal energy not only within its own region but on
the international stage."...
This agreement follows on from the visit to Caen on
12 September 2013 of a Scottish delegation comprising
members of the government, the economic development
agencies, and research organisations with a view to
generating synergies between the two regions in marine
renewable energies.
29/10/2013 - www.mer-veille.com/energie-hydrolienne/emrrecherche-et-developpement-entre-la-basse-normandie-etlecosse-30104510

The developer Alderney Renewable Energy (ARE), that

had high expectations of the meeting, announced on
17 February 2012 that they had signed an agreement
with the French Industry Minister and Ed Davey the British
Energy Minister to develop two projects :
1. tidal turbine marine renewables site in partnership with
DCNS ; and
2. to put in place with Capital Transmission Ltd and the
French grid operator RTE an interconnection cable
between Britain, Alderney, and France
20/02/2012 - www.mer-veille.com/toute-l-actualite/alderneyrenewable-energy-un-parc-hydrolien-au-large-des-iles-anglonormandes-2002537

TECHNOLOGY
Tidal Turbine
Yesterday in Cherbourg, Siemens and the French renewable
electricity developer UNITe signed an agreement to answer

together the Call for Expressions of Interest in the pilot

tidal farms in France. Siemens is now the 100% owner of
Marine Current Turbine (MCT).
Jrme Pcresse, Alstom's
Renewable Power President,
and Grard Mestrallet, CEO
of GDF Suez, have signed
a cooperation agreement
to prepare a joint project
to respond to the Call for
Expressions of Interest for
pilot tidal farms announced
today
by
the
French
President, Franois Hollande
in Cherbourg.
As part of this cooperation, Alstom and GDF Suez will
establish the various technical parameters needed to
harness effectively the Alderney Race currents, where the
pilot farms will be installed, near the Cherbourg coast. The
partners will also propose an operations and maintenance
strategy for the pilot farm, as well as a roadmap to
maximise the positive socio-economic benefits of this new
activity throughout the region and the country at large. This
is an important step to support the development of larger
commercial farms.
Alstom is currently successfully
testing its 1Mw tidal turbine at
EMEC. The turbine has reached
the full nominal power of 1Mw,
generating over 10Mwh of
electricity for the British grid.
Trials performed in pilot farms
will test the performance of the
turbine under real operating
conditions.
French President Franois Hollande
travelled to Cherbourg to announce
the launch of the Call for Expressions
of Interest in tidal turbine pilot farms
in the Alderney Race and the Fromveur
between the island of Ushant and the
Brittany coast.
After visiting the Constructions Mcaniques de Normandie
shipyard accompanied by Iskandar Safa, the majority
shareholder, the President attended a round table with:
the industrialists Alstom, Areva, DCNS, Siemens, and
Voith,
the energy companies EDF, GDF Suez, Iberdrola, Rseau
de Transport de lElectricit (RTE the French national
grid operator), and France Energies Marines (FEM),
local elected representatives, and interested parties like
the fishermen, and
the local Chambers of Commerce.
Afterwards he was given a presentation of the various tidal
turbine projects intended for the Alderney Race and the
Fromveur.
30/09/2013 - www.mer-veille.com/energie-hydrolienne/siemensse-positionne-dans-le-raz-blanchard-13114517

NOVEMBER 25th 2013 - p.2/6

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Following the agreement between CMN, GDF SUEZ, VOITH,
COFELY ENDEL and ACE, the Hy-tide turbine assembled
by CMN is to be transported in June to EMEC for a series
of tests prior to installation in the Alderney Race in a pilot
farm. (Cofely and ACE are both GDF subsidiaries)
24/05/2013 - Voith : the HyTide 1000-16 tidal turbine leaves the
CMN yard.

Floating Tidal Turbine

Tidalys is developing a low cost tidal turbine - Electrimar
- in West Normandy. They are currently organising the
necessary funding. The unit's technology is unique in having
a double counter-rotating rotor that reduces the wake effect
and the environmental impact.
The unit floats and thanks to its hydrodynamic design, aligns
itself automatically with the current to better capture the
energy. Arnaud Blosseville, is the designer, and Rmi LavalJeantet, engineer and inventor of the Electrimar project.
21/12/2012 - http://energiesdelamer.blogspot.fr/2012/12/
electrimar-une-hydrolienne-flottante-de.html

Offshore Wind
Alstom this week-end completed the installation at sea
of its new-generation offshore wind turbine, the 6-MW
Haliade 150, at the Belwind site in Belgium. This is the
largest offshore wind turbine ever installed in sea waters.
Thanks to its 150-metre rotor (with blades stretching
73.50 metre), the turbine is more efficient with a 15% better
yield, enabling it to supply power to the equivalent of about
5,000 households. The STX shipyard has just completed its
first jacket foundation for Alstom- the first built in France.
STX supplied the jacket for the Carnet prototype ; the
Belgian company Iemants that for Belwind.
20/11/2013 - www.marine-renewables-news.com/offshore-windturbines/alstom-installs-first-haliade-150-at-sea-0101

Cherbourg. Blades will be made in partnership with LM

Wind Power in Cherbourg where the towers will also be
made. Nacelle and generator manufacturing facilities will
be located dockside in the port area of Saint-Nazaire and
will employ 300 people. The two plants will create a further
500 direct jobs. Maintenance of the Courseulles farm will be
done from Caen-Ouistreham.
06/04/2012 - Press release

Public Debate
There was a very lively public debate concerning the
wind farm off the coast of Courseulles that helped clarify
many aspects of the project. The main concerns were the
environment, the visual impact, possible interference with
D-Day commemoration, the employment implications, and
what the project means for the fishing industry.
SWAC
Sea Water heats Cherbourg
1308 homes in the centre of Cherbourg will in future benefit
from Sea Water heating. Tenants will see their bills fall by
30%. After four years of study, EDF Optimal Solutions in
partnership with Dalkia (a subsidiary of Veolia and EDF
competitor of GDF Suez) have put in place a system the
cost of which is some 1,35m. 84 % of the water heating
will come from sea water, with the balance coming from
conventional gas boilers.
28/05/2013 - http://energiesdelamer.blogspot.fr/2013/05/
energies-de-la-mer-cherbourg-se-met.html

Tidal Races
The SHOM (Service Hydrographique et Ocanographique de
la Marine) has just completed the first 3D global model of
the Alderney Race. The result of having 3D as opposed to 2D
translates into :
an improved spatial resolution of the domain taking into
account finer bathymetry and important processes like
bottom friction and vertical sectionning of the current
a better understanding of the zones studied because of in
situ measurement
enhanced performance of the TELEMAC model since
the '90s.
In the Alderney Race the current is calculated every 1Km.
This first model shows the research that must be undertaken to
identify the best zones (micro-sites) for turbine deployment.

Haliade 150

EDF Energies Nouvelles (EDF EN) has sent a letter to the

authorities concerned confirming that it intends to go
ahead with the project to install 75 Haliade 150 Alstom
6Mw turbines at Courseulles-sur-Mer. Total output will be
450Mw. This is part of France's Round 1 and grid connections
are already in existence.
19/11/2013 - http://energiesdelamer.blogspot.fr/2013/11/dailynews-n-415-19th-november-2013-we.html

Alstom, with its 6Mw Haliade 150 is the exclusive turbine

supplier to the EDF-EN consortium - has confirmed the
four factory industrial plan two in St Nazaire and 2 in
NOVEMBER 25th 2013 - p.3/6

mer-veille.com - marine-renewables-news.com - energiesdelamer.blogspot.com

The Grid
The French Commission
de Rgulation de lEnergie
(CRE) has announced the
start of a shared electricity
market for the North West
of Europe, and, specifically,
its
extension
between
France and Great Britain
as from 26/11/2013. This
project, a first in Europe,
will be extended over 15
countries and cover 75%
of European electricity
consumption. The CRE
estimates that there will
be cost savings of 50m
thanks to this project.

The Ports of Normandy Authority (PNA), which owns the

ports of Caen-Ouistreham and Cherbourg in north-western
France, plans to expand the facilities at Cherbourg by
35 hectares, at a cost of 60m. This expansion will facilitate
the development of tidal-energy projects in the Alderney
Race for which Cherbourg is ideally located for constructing,
maintaining and operating future tidal-energy farms.

Commission de rgulation de lnergie

29/10/2013

In Great Britain it will be managed by National Grid

Electricity Transmission plc (National Grid), System
Operation Northern Ireland Ltd (SONI), Scottish and
Southern Energy plc (SSE), Scottish Power Transmission
plc (SPTransmission).
29/10/2013 - http://energiesdelamer.blogspot.fr/search/label/
Basse%20Normandie

In France, it is RTE.
The French grid operator RTE pointed out that the
unaugmented grid was able to absorb power from the tidal
turbines.
West Normandy sends electricity to Brittany, and the Paris
region.

In the first half of 2012,

energy
group
EDF,
DONG and multinational
engineering
company
Alstom decided to locate
their
offshore-windturbine operations in
Cherbourg.
Following
this decision, PNA, in
association with the local authorities of
West
Normandy is now seizing the opportunity that other
renewable energies offer, particularly tidal power.
18/12/2012 - Press Release

In under two months the port of Cherbourg

has seen the arrival and now the departure
of the Voith tidal turbine that was assembled
at the Constructions Mcaniques de
Normandie yard, the sheds of which are just
a few meters from the quayside. It arrived
on April 22nd and left on June 16th.
At least four companies were directly involved in the
operation.
CMN for the welding of the
special cradle support on
the barge, Bollor Logistics,
BLP for port logistics and
handling, MojoMaritime for
the coordination, and the
port of Cherbourg.

19/06/2013 - www.mer-veille.com/
energie-hydrolienne/
lhydrolienne-voith-decherbourg-a-lemec-01014386

Alstom will also sign an agreement with Ports Normands

Associs (PNA) which could allow the Group to perform
the final assembly of the turbines, the erection of the
foundations and all maintenance operations from Cherbourg,
if it is awarded the raz Blanchard pilot farms. The port offers
many benefits, including, in particular, a development plan
covering 40 hectares for infrastructure devoted to tidal
power, as well as the proximity of the raz Blanchard site
and the British coastline, which represents a substantial
potential market. Press Release - Alstom PNA

PORTS
Ports Normands Associs (PNA )
and Alstom have signed a
framework agreement under
which PNA is to make available
new areas in the harbour to
develop an industrial base to
assemble and maintain the
pilot farm turbines. This follows
on from the agreement with
DCNS and confirms the very
real attractions of Cherbourg
for tidal-energy.

Eolhyd is a consortium of port operators and handlers for

marine renewable energy of all kinds in an around the
Cherbourg peninsula.
30/01/2013 - http://energiesdelamer.blogspot.fr/search/label/
Pays%20de%20La%20Loire

PNA agreement 30/09/2013

WEB-Video www.pna-ports.fr/web/video_pna.php
NOVEMBER 25th 2013 - p.4/6

mer-veille.com - marine-renewables-news.com - energiesdelamer.blogspot.com

VESSELS OF THE FUTURE

Navalis designed by Chantiers
Allais in Cherbourg has been
selected in the first phase of the
Call for Expressions of Interest
in Vessels of the Future. It
is a innovative fast crewboat
designed to transport crew
safely to offshore wind farms.
It has been endorsed by the
Brittany Competition Cluster

Siemens, EDF-EN, DCNS, ABB, WPD Offshore and Tocardo).

Over 60 meetings have allowed them to present their
skills and know-how and to sketch out possible future cooperation.
With the Technological Bricks Call for Expressions of Interest
or that of the pilot tidal turbine farms, and in its cooperation
with Scotland, West Normandy has committed strongly to
research into marine renewables.

A second Call for Expressions of Interest was launched

on 14/10/2013 for a total of 30m. The closing date is
25/11/2014 and will be adjudged in phases by ADEME.

Regional skills are concentrated as follows:

Materials,
Acceptability and regulation,
Corrosion,
Acoustics,
Civil engineering,
Foundations,
Energy production,
Modelling,
Virtual and augmented reality,
Hydrodynamics and fluid mechanics.

B to B

26/09/2013 - Press Release

18/10/2013 - http://energiesdelamer.blogspot.fr/2013/10/lami-n2pour-les-navires-du-futur.html

Business
West Normandy Marine Energy together with the local
Chamber of Commerce has organised several events to
facilitate contact between developers and would-be suppliers,
and to build links with local research operations.
They have included events for Siemens (3/07/2013) and
others for Alstom and Voith in late 2012 and early 2013.
Research, Further Education & Training
ESITC (Ecole d'ingnierie et de travaux de la construction)
Caen is the pilot of a European INTERREG IV research project
into the value of shells in the context of the development of
offshore wind farms, and to seek solutions to compensate
for the possible disturbance of the ecosystem in the English
Channel.
Baptised RECIF, (reef in French), the project brings together
French and British partners :
the universities of:
-- Southampton,
-- Exeter, and
-- Caen Basse Normandie,

the research laboratories:

-- Plymouth Marine Laboratory, and the
-- Natural History Museum
and the industrialists:
-- TPC - Groupe VINCI,
-- EMCC.

Cofinanced by the EU FEDER and West Normandy to the tune

of 3m, it concludes in 2015.
The installation of some 100 wind turbines will therefore be
preceded by the dumping in the water of as many kilos of
conglomerate as shells to act as refuges for the displaced
species. The aim is to allow the fauna and flora to grow,
underlines Pascal Claquin, a professor at Caen University.

31/10/2013 - http://www.mer-veille.com/article/accordsuniversitaires-de-la-basse-normandie-31104546

Meetings have been organised regularly. 20 West Normandy

laboratories and research organisations have met the main
contractors involved in the offshore wind projects (Alstom,

RESEARCH
A large number of universities, high schools, laboratories,
economic and research institutes which all have reached
international level in their own fields:
University of Caen Basse-Normandie
ENSICAEN (engineering school/materials science and chemistry,
electronics and applied physics)
ESITC Caen (engineering school/civil engineering)
CNRS (French national centre for scientific research)
CORRODYS (laboratory specialized in marine corrosion)
ISPA (engineering school/plastics technologies)
LCS (laboratory specialized in structural analysis by catalysis and
spectrochemistry)
LUSAC (Cherbourg-based laboratory on applied sciences)
CIMAP (laboratory specialized in ions, materials and photonics)
CNRT (national center of technological resrarch material)
CRISMAT (laboratory specialized in materials science and
crystallography)
LCMT (laboratory specialized in molecular and macromolecular
chemistry)
IRD2: Regional Institute for Sustainable Development

THE KEY POINTS

Greatest tidal turbine potential in France with the
Alderney and Barfleur Races
An offshore wind farm of 450MW
2 important ports - Cherbourg and Caen-Ouistreham
with 100 hectares dedicated to marine renewables
Sufficient grid capacity NOW
11 world class further education and research
establishments
150 appropriate SMEs wanting involvement in marine
renewable energies
Extensive professional training facilities.
Competence Directory MIRIADE :

www.miriade-innovation.fr/upload/editeur/Annuaire_
EMR_25-04-23.pdf

NOVEMBER 25th 2013 - p.5/6

mer-veille.com - marine-renewables-news.com - energiesdelamer.blogspot.com

PORTRAIT GALLERY
Laurent Beauvais
President of the Rgion Basse-Normandie.
See Thetis Web TV interview :
www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTY_4bJnRyk
Jean-Franois Legrand
President of the General Councel of The Manche
Department. See Thetis Web TV interview :
www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRkC4UKTvWY
Andr Rouxel
President of the Urban Communities of Cherbourg
See Thetis Web TV interview :
www.youtube.com/watch?v=2d2A39Jw-_4
Jean-Michel Houllegatte
The Mayor of Cherbourg-Octeville

Franois Piquet
General Delegate for Marine Renewable Energy Managing Director. See Thetis Web TV interview :
www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_LRZvZFYS8

WEB-TV
Videos from last year's Energies de la mer at Brest 2012
www.energiesdelamer.org/progfr.php#mercredi
Marine Energy : Economy, employment, training sponsored by
West Normandy. The day was presided over by Yanic Soubien,
President of the West Normandy Training Comittee.
Videos from last years THETIS
David Krohn is Wave & Tidal Development Manager Renewable UK - www.youtube.com/watch?v=QzG-n8_O1bE
Kai Oliver Kolmel vice-president Hydro & Ocean Power Siemens - www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6-k0xbPf24
Michel Ollier Ple mer Mditerrane (Mediterranean
Cluster) President of the Floating Offshore Wind Turbine
Committee FEE - www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqClUwKAKmg

CALENDAR
29/11/2013 - 14h00
Closing date of the France's offshore wind farms
Round 2
Zone 1: Le Trport in Normandy
(min 480Mw - maxi 500Mw)
Zone 2: Between the islands of Yeu and Noirmoutier
in the Loire region (mini 480Mw max 500Mw).
25/04/2014
CFI for pilot tidal turbine farms

www.developpement-durable.gouv.fr/Appel-a-manifestationsd-interet,35239.html

Closing date: April 25th 2014

The Call for Expressions of Interest is endowed with
funding of 1125m in the context of the Investing for
the Future program.
The projects must be located in either the Alderney
Race or the Fromveur and be grid-connected. The
tender document sets out the exact boundaries of
the zones. Each project can contain between 4 and
10 machines producing a minimum of 2 500 MWh p.a.
per machine. The technology to be installed must be
able to demonstrate at least 6 months sea trials prior
to actually building the machines for the pilots.
09-10/04/2014 - Cherbourg
Thetis MRE

Thetis MRE is a French exhibition designed to

gather together all the participants in the new and
emerging marine renewable energy industry. Thetis
MRE is the exhibition to create strong links between
European organisations, major contractors, SMEs,
manufacturers, and universities.
For any futher information : www.thetis-emr.com

Neil Davidson Public Affairs Manager Aquamarine Power

www.youtube.com/watch?v=90gty0G2_kM

www.marine-renewable-energy.com
www.marine-renewables-news.com
www.mer-veille.com
www.energias-renovables-marinas.com
www.marine-renewables-directory.com
energiesdelamer.blogspot.com

MARINE RENEWABLE ENERGY LTD.

Pont ar Floc'h - 29810 PLOUMOGUER - FRANCE.

Head Office : SOUTHAMPTON - UNITED KINGDOM.

BB.B

4, rue Suger
75006 PARIS

M. D. : Christopher Longmore - cbl@marine-renewable-energy.com

33 (0) 645 338 118 - 33 (0) 298 011 348
Editor in chief: Brigitte Bornemann - brigitte@marine-renewable-energy.com
Monthly Summary (mer-veille.com) : Isabelle de Broglie
Editors : Paul Garrett, Olivia Maida, Alix Willemez, Franois Richard.
Advertising : 33 (0) 645 338 118 - contact@marine-renewable-energy.com
Design : Paul Gass - pclg.fr
NOVEMBER 25th 2013 - p.6/6