Louise Sallé, edited by Juline Garnier 7:16 a.m., April 16, 2022
Emmanuel Macron insists on the deployment of wind turbines at sea, when it is out of the question for Marine Le Pen.
The RN candidate even suggests dismantling the existing installations.
Are offshore wind turbines so environmentally harmful and energy inefficient that they should not be deployed?
Wind turbines invite themselves into the debate of the presidential campaign.
Highly contested on the right of the political spectrum, the president-candidate intends to install 50 wind farms along the French coast if he is re-elected.
Greener energy, but not without consequences either.
Avoid marine natural parks
Birds bothered by the large white blades that split the sky and fish disturbed by the vibrations.
This is the fear of the France Nature Environnement association, of which Jean-David Abel is vice-president.
"You have blades that go at 240 or 250 km/h and which could have very strong impacts. That's for air," he explains.
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The revival of offshore wind power in France
“And on the basement, the work of riprap, of fixing can make very significant impacts, so as much to do them in places which are less sensitive, not to do them, for example in marine natural parks”, adds the vice president.
France lagging behind its European neighbors
If they are well established, then, this risk is reduced.
Offshore wind turbines are twice as powerful as onshore ones.
Above all, they are essential to replace our fossil fuels.
Nuclear power alone will not suffice.
"It's important to realize that we are behind. We are very, very far behind Germany, the United States, the Netherlands, Austria and Spain... We don't not a single one", warns Jean-David Abel.
With Emmanuel Macron's project, France could have 50 offshore wind farms with a total power of 40 gigawatts, or nearly a quarter of France's electricity consumption forecast for 2050.