Background
Observatory of offshore renewable energy
With offshore renewable energy, France has a tremendous opportunity: to create a new industrial sector at the crossroads of blue growth and green growth and create sustainable jobs, while accelerating its energy transition.
Supported by the French Maritime Cluster, the Observatoire des énergies de la mer* mission is to build a reliable database on the offshore renewable energy in France. You will find below some elements of the synthesis of the 2018 edition based on a questionnaire addressed to the 350 companies identified as being interested in the offshore renewable energy. These data are without extrapolation.
*Observatory of the energies of the sea
Key figures for the year 2017
- + 2600 direct jobs created by 26% growth, of which more than 50% in Pays de la Loire Region
- 80% of the annual export turnover
- + 150 million euros of investments in 2017
Companies are anchored in an industrial reality
In 2017, 79% of full-time equivalent positions related to marine energy are counted among service providers or suppliers in the value chain. This category of stakeholders also represents the largest share of investments and turnover. Developers / operators of projects related to marine energy are still in the investment phase, which is higher than their turnover, as no farm is still active in France.
Source : Observatoire des énergies de la mer
If the SMEs are in majority in number, it is logically the big companies in terms of employment. In the same way, mid-sized companies are structuring the sector, and large companies will see their workforce grown up as part of the commissioning of the first commercial parks.
Companies’ positioning on the value chain
BFOW and FOW concentrates most of the jobs.
The significant weight of offshore wind is explained in particular by the level of maturity of the sector, and by the export, which has an essential dimension today in the turnover. For FOW the calls for projects for the development of pilot farms seem to have been decisive for the companies suppliers or providers of the value chain, in terms of employment. As for other technologies, tidal energy is the third most important: the sector is waiting for the launch of pilot or commercial projects.
Growth in the jobs
Increasing employment in almost all coastal regions, with a still significant growth in the Pays de la Loire concentrating half of the jobs of the sector, but also present on the rest of the national territory.
The dynamism of the Pays de la Loire Region can be explained by:
- Dynamic industrialists already involved in the sector through:
- The presence of large Groups and mid-size companies positioned for export via the Grand Port Maritime of Nantes Saint-Nazaire (GE for turbines and nacelles of offshore wind turbines, Chantiers de l’Atlantique for electrical substations in particular) , ROLLIX for bearings and training crowns of nacelles and pitch systems, …)
- Activities of SMEs and VSEs being often spin-offs from the research community in design engineering (CETEAL, D-ICE, INNOSEA, ….), or in energy resource characterization at sea (AKROCEAN, …) and impacts (BIOTOPE, CREOCEAN, NEREIS, OCEAN ZOOM, …)
- A dynamic ecosystem of research, innovation, and training, namely WEAMEC, whose partners operate or have operated more than 500 projects for more than € 100 million over the last 5 years.
Source : Observatoire des énergies de la mer
