France’s Underwater Turbine Farm: A New Wave of Clean Energy 🌱

Normandie Hydroliennes (NH) is building one of France’s first commercial-scale tidal power plants, backed by a €31.3 million EU Innovation Fund grant. The NH1 project will deploy four Proteus AR3000 turbines off Cap de la Hague, harnessing the Raz Blanchard—Europe’s strongest tidal stream. 𝗞𝗲𝘆 𝗙𝗶𝗴𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀: - Capacity: 12 MW total (4 x 3 MW turbines) - Annual Output: 34 GWh, powering 15,000 residents - Start Date: Operational by 2028 - Local Impact: 400+ jobs, 80% of construction value in France - Future Scaling: Potential deployment of 85 turbines/year, tapping into 5–6 GW tidal potential (enough for 8 million people) - CO₂ Savings: Estimated 57,878 tonnes annually 𝗘𝗻𝘃𝗶𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀: Turbines installed 38m deep—no impact on navigation, minimal impact on marine life. Positive marine biodiversity effects, as seen in similar projects like Scotland’s MeyGen. NH1 marks a strategic move in France’s renewable energy mix and offers export potential for tidal energy tech. It’s a key part of the EU’s €4.8 billion push for clean technologies funded by the Emissions Trading System (ETS). Source: Normandie Hydroliennes