French oil and gas giant Total has reached an agreement with renewables energy developer Simply Blue Energy to acquire 80 per cent of the Erebus floating wind project off the coast of Wales, making its first investment in the offshore wind sector, according to Renew Economy.

Total has been been making large investments in developing renewable energy sources and has made a target of 25GW of renewable energy capacity by 2025.

The company has partnered with Japanese business conglomerate Marubeni to construct an 800MW solar energy plant in Qatar for the football World Cup, as well as rolling out solar energy across India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh in a $510m deal with India’s Adani group.

Last week the company’s subsidiary Total Quadran acquired Global Wind Power France and its 1,025MW portfolio of onshore wind projects.

“Following Vents d’Oc’ acquisition in 2019, this new investment demonstrates Total’s commitment to expand in all types of renewable energy while contributing to France’s energy transition goals,” said Philippe Sauquet, President Gas, Renewables and Power at Total.

“It strengthens Total Quadran’s footprint adding to its existing portfolio of nearly 1000MW of installed and operated capacity, including over 500MW of onshore wind and confirms its ambition to be one of the main players on France’s renewables market.”

The new collaboration with Irish ocean resources company Simply Blue Energy means they now have an 80 per cent stake in the 96MW Erebus floating offshore wind project.

The Erebus project, to be constructed in the Celtic Sea off the coast of Wales at depths of 70 meters, is set to be a demonstration project for a potential fleet of floating offshore wind farms. The partnership between the companies will be a joint venture called Blue Gem Wind, which has applied to the UK Crown Estate.

“With its entry into floating offshore wind, Total confirms its ambition to contribute to the development of renewable energy worldwide,” said Patrick Pouyanné, Chairman & CEO of Total.

“Floating offshore wind is an extremely promising and technical segment where Total brings its extensive expertise in offshore operations & maintenance. Total has the appropriate skills to meet the technological and financial requirements that determine the success of future floating offshore developments.”

The investment Total has made indicates an important milestone into floating offshore wind technology, as it seeks to prove itself as a feasible source of cost-efficient renewable energy generation.

The floating offshore wind technology will be able to make use of water depths that are beyond the constraints of traditional wind farms, allowing placement in areas where the technology can reach stronger and more consistent wind speeds. The hope is that floating wind will prove to be an important step for reaching renewable energy goals.

The Erebus Project is scheduled to be completed and operational by the mid-2020s, while Simply Blue Energy engage with local companies around the Celtic Sea to get involved with the project.

The Erebus project will be reliant upon suitable revenue support and will benefit greatly from amendments in early-March to the UK Government’s Contracts for Difference scheme which will now allow bids from onshore wind, solar, and floating offshore wind.

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