After nearly three years of construction in Port-La Nouvelle, Qair’s Eolmed pilot project enters the technical test phase before its full commissioning, the first floating wind farm 80% French and 100% European.
The Eolmed pilot floating wind farm has reached the stage of energition, a structuring milestone before its full commissioning. Maritime operations began at the end of August 2025, after nearly three years of work on the Port-La Nouvelle industrial quay, before the towing of the structures 18 km off the Mediterranean coast. The fleet is now connected to the electricity transmission network operated by RTE (Électricité Transport Network) and is entering a technical verification phase.
Technical tests before the injection of the first kilowatt hours
This step is essential to confirm the proper functioning of the equipment and their interaction with the electrical network, according to Qair. The teams conducted the operations in winter weather conditions described as particularly demanding. Eolmed is presented by the company as the first floating wind farm at 80% French and 100% European in terms of construction costs. The project benefits from the support of the State through the Future Investment Program, managed by the Agency for the Ecological Transition (ADEME), as well as public and private partners.
The consortium brings Qair together as the main developer, alongside TotalEnergies and BW Ideol, which provides Damping Pool® floating foundation technology. Laurent Vergnet, CEO of Qair Marine and Eolmed, indicates that the start-up « concretizes several years of commitment and collective work alongside our partners ».
A construction site coordinated by French and European industrialists
For the construction of floats, the French companies Matière and Ponticelli Frères created in 2021 the company MP Archimed (MPA), dedicated to the manufacture, assembly and marketing of structures for floating offshore wind. MPA coordinated the work on the Port-La Nouvelle way by mobilizing specialized European subcontractors. Brodosplit (Croatia) and Fincantieri (Italy) manufactured the metal structure, Navacel (Spain) provided the transition parts and Petrol Lavori (Italy) made the paint finishes.
Beyond the demonstrator, Eolmed foreshadows the future commercial tenders of the French State for the development of floating wind in the sea. The project should illustrate the economic benefits for the national industrial sectors and for French ports. Qair says it has a total capacity of 1.7 GW in operation or under construction, with a 35 GW development pipeline in 20 countries in Europe, Latin America and Africa.
source : energy news
