FloWatt, the largest tidal farm commissioned in 2027 in Raz Blanchard (Manche) for 100% predictable, competitive energy with very low environmental impact, is the winner of the EU Blue Champions program supported by the European Investment Bank ( BEI). EU Blue Champions aims to support 20 innovative European projects that strongly contribute to the European Union (EU) mission “Restoring our oceans and waters”.
The partners of the FloWatt project, the independent renewable electricity producer Qair and the world leader in marine tidal turbines HydroQuest welcome the decision of the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the European Commission (EC) to select the FloWatt project among the 20 winners of the “EU Blue Champions” program which rewards innovative and promising European companies in the blue economy sector.
Thanks to this support, FloWatt will be able to benefit from support from a team of advisors from EIB Advisory Services, allowing it to access EIB financing tools adapted to the project.
This selection from more than 70 candidates demonstrates the desire of the EC and the EIB to support the development of marine tidal energy with the FloWatt project, which it considers to be in line with the mission “Restore our Oceans and Waters » of the EU as well as technologically and financially mature to consider expansion on a commercial scale in the next two years.
Abdoulaye Toure, Project Finance Director of Qair, said: “We are happy to see tidal energy recognized by the European Commission and the EIB. After two years of development, with our partners HydroQuest and CMN, whom we warmly thank, this distinction validates Qair’s strategy by placing FloWatt among the 20 distinguished European champions.”
Thomas Jaquier, President of Hydroquest, declared: “We are particularly proud that the FloWatt tidal turbine pilot farm project has been selected by the EIB. This demonstrates the seriousness and solidity of the project partners, the confidence in the technology developed by HydroQuest and the recognition of the potential for rapid commercial deployment of tidal energy, particularly on the very energetic Raz Blanchard site in Normandy which has a deposit of around 4 GW! »
FloWatt, the largest tidal farm commissioned in 2027
Located in Raz Blanchard (Manche), work on the FloWatt project will begin in 2025 with commissioning from 2027. A world first with the most powerful tidal farm ever deployed for renewable and predictable electricity, the installed capacity of the project is rising at 17 MW, or the energy consumption of 20,000 inhabitants for 20 years. Entirely immersed in a very strong current, in one of the most inhospitable marine environments in the world for human activity, the tidal turbines of the FloWatt project have the lowest environmental impacts among the projects deployed by the energy sector marines.
