China General Nuclear Power Corporation (CGN) was placed under the spotlight by China Central Television 2 (CCTV2) on June 18 for its new energy business in Europe and the story about its bid for France's first offshore floating wind power project.

France has paid great attention to the development of new energy, putting wind power in a strategic position.

In early 2015, the company won the bid for France’s Fujin Onshore Wind Power Project, which included 54 wind turbines.

In 2016, France's Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy announced that a consortium led by CGN European Energy and French new-energy firm Eolfi won the tender for a 24MW-floating wind power project. 

Located in the sea off the island of Groix in Brittany, the project was slated to have four floating wind turbines, with the generated electricity being able to meet the power needs of at least 20,000 French homes annually.

As France and even Europe’s first offshore floating wind power model project, it was of great significance to the development of the offshore floating wind power industry.

In addition, the winning tender also marked a milestone for CGN as it was the first Chinese company that tapped into the offshore floating wind power industry, outbidding its competitive French counterparts. Meanwhile, the project could help CGN accumulate experience in offshore floating wind power project investment and construction and take the lead in the global offshore floating wind power market.

Offshore floating wind power technology enjoys broad space for development since over 70 percent of the world’s offshore wind resources are utilizable as an energy source. The technology has great market potential in China as well as in countries of the Asia-Pacific region.