It requires an industrial process and infrastructure that are very different from what we usually do.
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Data sheet
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Summary sheet
Release date
29 September 2020
Status
Reference
Signed | 12/04/2021
20190354
Project name
Promoter - financial intermediary
PORTS OCCITANS
REGION OCCITANIE
Proposed EIB finance (Approximate amount)
Total cost (Approximate amount)
EUR 150 million
EUR 343 million
Description
Objectives
Extension et aménagement des sites portuaires de Port-la-Nouvelle et de Sète-Frontignan.
Le projet contribuera aux objectifs stratégiques de la Région Occitanie pour le développement des Ports de Port-la-Nouvelle et de Sète-Frontignan, y compris en matière de transition énergétique. À Port-La Nouvelle, le projet financera la construction d'infrastructures supplémentaires pour augmenter la capacité et l'efficacité des opérations portuaires et pour soutenir le développement des activités d'énergies renouvelables (parcs éoliens offshore flottants et hydrogène vert). Sur le port de Sète, le projet augmentera la capacité et l'efficacité du terminal des ferries et renforcera également l'interopérabilité entre les modes de transport routier et ferroviaire et les activités portuaires. Le projet comprendra également une nouvelle drague hybride (à hydrogène et diesel) pour préserver les profondeurs d'eau dans les ports régionaux.
Environmental aspects
Procurement
Conformité à la directive 2001/42 / CE relative à l'évaluation environnementale stratégique (EES), à la directive EIE 2011/92 / CE modifiée par 2014/52 / UE, à la directive Habitats 92/43 / CEE, à la directive Oiseaux 2009/147 / CE, la directive-cadre 2000/60 / CE sur l'eau (telle que modifiée), ainsi que les exigences en matière d'évaluation de la biodiversité, les questions d'adaptation et d'atténuation au changement climatique, les mesures d'atténuation / compensation et les plans de surveillance environnementale et sociale, seront évalués en détail lors de l'évaluation chaque composante du projet.
La Banque demandera au Promoteur de s'assurer que les contrats pour la mise en œuvre du projet ont été et seront passés conformément à la législation applicable en matière de passation des marchés de l'UE, à la directive 2014/25 / UE, ainsi qu'à la directive 92/13 / CEE, tel qu'interprété par la Cour de justice de l'UE, avec la publication des avis de marché au Journal officiel de l'UE, en tant que de besoin.
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Summary sheet
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Data sheet
Documents
Environmental and Social Data Sheet (ESDS) - PORTS OCCITANS
Publication Date
24 Feb 2021
Document language
Main Topic
Lending
Document Number
134919602
Document Focus
Environmental Information
Document Type
Project Number
20190354
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Regions
Countries
Publicly available
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Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) - PORTS OCCITANS - Etude d’impact Vol. 3 - Port La Nouvelle
Publication Date
24 Feb 2021
Document language
Main Topic
Lending
Document Number
134487156
Document Focus
Environmental Information
Document Type
Project Number
20190354
Sector(s)
Regions
Countries
Publicly available
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Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) - PORTS OCCITANS - Etude d'Impact - Port de Sète
Publication Date
24 Feb 2021
Document language
Main Topic
Lending
Document Number
95862620
Document Focus
Environmental Information
Document Type
Project Number
20190354
Sector(s)
Regions
Countries
Publicly available
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Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) - PORTS OCCITANS - Etude d’impact Vol. 1 - Port La Nouvelle
Publication Date
24 Feb 2021
Document language
Main Topic
Lending
Document Number
134487933
Document Focus
Environmental Information
Document Type
Project Number
20190354
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Regions
Countries
Publicly available
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Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) - PORTS OCCITANS - Résumé non technique - Port de Sète
Publication Date
24 Feb 2021
Document language
Main Topic
Lending
Document Number
95867028
Document Focus
Environmental Information
Document Type
Project Number
20190354
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Regions
Countries
Publicly available
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Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) - PORTS OCCITANS - Etude d’impact Vol. 2 - Port La Nouvelle
Publication Date
24 Feb 2021
Document language
Main Topic
Lending
Document Number
134486498
Document Focus
Environmental Information
Document Type
Project Number
20190354
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Regions
Countries
Publicly available
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News & Stories
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Inside the project
How and Why
Creating the infrastructure for floating wind farms in the Mediterranean
Why
- Floating wind power will help Europe transition to green energy
- The two wind farms will produce enough energy for 400 000 people, but they require significant infrastructure to support their operation
- The Occitania region wants to revive its economy and supplement traditional industries like agriculture, tourism and aerospace
How
- Expand Port-la-Nouvelle to create the space needed to assemble and maintain the massive wind turbines, which will later be lifted onto floaters and transported out to sea
- Deepen the port’s basin and build additional terminals that will be used to store wind turbine equipment arriving from other parts of Europe
- Create a renewable energy hub based on clean energy generated by the wind turbines and develop hydrogen-related activities in the region
Sectors & Countries
Play video
2:56
Story
How to create a renewable energy hub
Port-la-Nouvelle’s transition is part of an ambitious renewable energy strategy laid out by the Occitania region. The region is hoping to benefit from the development of two floating offshore wind farms planned in the Mediterranean, which are expected to produce enough energy for 400 000 people.
Occitania has one of the highest unemployment rates in France. It sees renewable energy as an opportunity to re-energise its traditional economy of agriculture, tourism and, further inland, aerospace.
The plans call for Port-la-Nouvelle to be transformed into a Mediterranean hub for the construction, logistics and support of offshore floating wind farms. The hub will also eventually produce green hydrogen from the clean energy generated by the wind farms.
The new infrastructure supports the efforts to develop greener port activities and to decarbonise energy production. It's an additional step towards reaching our goal for carbon neutrality at the European level.
How do you get a massive turbine out to sea
Wind turbines are hulking steel beasts that weigh hundreds of tonnes. On land, they tower over landscapes. But imagine trying to assemble one in a traditional seaport, hauling the 100-metre-long turbine and 90-metre blades onto a floating platform – and then gently tugging the whole thing out to a wind farm in the middle of the sea.
Port-la-Nouvelle’s location gives it a particular edge. The port is situated just less than 20 kilometres from the wind parks run by Les Éoliennes Flottantes and EolMed. The relatively short distance between the port and the wind farms reduces the risks involved in transporting the huge structures at sea.
Manoeuvring wind turbines, however, requires a major revamp of port infrastructure. Port-la-Nouvelle’s renovation includes:
- Constructing a 250-metre platform strong enough to support the heavy cranes needed to assemble the floater and position the wind turbines.
- Extending the dykes surrounding the port, which will expand the basin and deepen it. The extra space in the basin will be used to stack the floaters on which the wind turbines sit.
- Building additional terminals with 300 metres of docks. The terminals will be used to assemble wind turbines and as storage facilities
Pivoting to green hydrogen
The region is also focusing on green hydrogen. In 2019, it adopted a €150 million Green Hydrogen Plan, which envisages creating the infrastructure to produce, store and distribute hydrogen, and to use the energy to power local transport, like buses and trains.
A related project, Corridor H2, will develop a network of hydrogen distribution stations in Occitania along the road that runs from the Mediterranean to the North Sea. The EIB is loaning €40 million to the Corridor H2 project.
Related media
Infrastructure Solutions: Tugging turbines out to sea
Port-la-Nouvelle in southern France is undergoing a €340 million overhaul to support two future floating wind farms, part of the Occitania region’s plan to become a hub of renewable energy.
Turning up wind power
The turbine maker Vestas is investing heavily in research and development to improve performance and exploit wind power in more extreme environments.
A wind power wonder off Portugal’s stormy coast
Amid the high winds and huge waves off Portugal’s North Atlantic coast, three floating wind turbines the height of 60-story sky scrapers, generate enough electricity for 60 000 households.
The answer is green
Russia’s aggression in Ukraine has pushed Europe into an energy crisis. The need for action is urgent. Europe must build up its energy resilience and accelerate its green transition to a low-carbon economy.
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