Normandy Prefecture approves transfer of 12 MW tidal power development lease from Engie to Normandie Hydroliennes

SIMEC Atlantis Energy Limited has announced that the Prefecture de la Manche has approved the transfer of the lease to develop a 12 MW tidal power project in Raz Blanchard from ENGIE to Normandie Hydroliennes. 

Normandie Hydroliennes is the marine energy development company set up between Atlantis, the Development Agency for Normandy (AD Normandie), the regional agency for economic development in Normandy, the regional investment fund Normandie Participations and local industrial group EFINOR,  which provides high-end engineering services and manufacturing support for the naval, nuclear, and aerospace industries.

Normandie Hydroliennes has been working with the French Environmental and Energy Management Agency (ADEME) and all relevant government ministries over the past 12 months to obtain the relevant approvals for the transfer for what will be the first stage of a potential multi-hundred-megawatt project marine energy project in Raz Blanchard.

Raz Blanchard, Lower Normandy, is France’s strongest tidal current and holds 50% of the national tidal power potential. Owning 49% of the JV, Atlantis is the main shareholder and is seeking to expand this collaboration into a larger tidal project in Normandy and Alderney territorial waters. Normandie Hydroliennes has the long-term goal to harness up to 2GW of power from the Alderney Race, the eight-mile strait that runs between Alderney and La Hague, France, as well as more than 1GW of resource from adjacent concessions under the control of the States of Alderney.