Making Nantes ‒ Saint Nazaire Port’s Voice Heard at European Events
In April and May, Nantes ‒ Saint Nazaire Port took part in three major European events dedicated to the future development of the offshore wind power sector.
On 24th April in Ostend, Europe’s North Sea Summit brought together heads of government from Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, the Republic of Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, and the United Kingdom, alongside the President of the European Commission and the EU Commissioner for Energy. The European States agreed collectively to increase their North Sea wind energy production capacity to 120 gigawatts in 2030, then to at least 300 GW in 2050. Olivier Trétout, Chair of the Management Board of Nantes ‒ Saint Nazaire Port, was a member of the French delegation. As part of a panel discussion, he was asked to speak about the port-related issues involved in the deployment of future offshore wind farms and about the challenge that lies ahead, notably as regards floating wind power, for which the technologies, the dimensions of the components and the rates of production are constantly evolving.
Parallel to this gathering, the six member ports of the European Offshore Wind Port Collaboration, including Nantes ‒ Saint Nazaire Port, met to discuss joint initiatives designed to increase the capacity of the supply chain and of ports, with a view to ensuring the development of offshore wind power in Europe.
A few days later, the wind power industry leaders gathered together in Copenhagen for the Wind Europe Conference, in which Olivier Trétout also took part.
On 10th May, Nantes was the venue for the FOWT International Trade Show, which brought together the experts in the sector. Olivier Trétout participated in a discussion led by the Wind Power France Association (FEE) about how best to structure the floating wind power industry and the role of port infrastructures, and in the presence of representatives of EDF Renewables, German electricity supplier RWE, the European Investment Bank, and Nexans.
At FOWT, Nantes ‒ Saint Nazaire Port welcomed an Irish delegation comprising business leaders and led by Eamon Ryan, the Republic of Ireland’s Minister for the Environment, Climate, Energy and Transport. Together, they were taken on a tour of the port installations at Montoir de Bretagne and in Saint Nazaire, of the production facilities of wind turbine manufacturer GE, and of the Chantiers de l'Atlantique Shipyard, which builds offshore electrical substations.