• In the battle for regional in Hauts-de-France, the question of wind turbines is dividing.

  • Between the candidates "for" and the candidates "against", each has its arguments.

  • 20 Minutes

    has gathered some data to help you form your opinion.

The undersides of the winged giants.

If there is a subject that is debated among the postulants for the seat of president of Hauts-de-France, it is that of wind power.

Between radically "for" and fiercely "against", the arguments are balanced on the fly without necessarily being able to verify them.

Suddenly,

20 Minutes

tried to disentangle the true from the false.

Are most of the wind turbines in France in Hauts-de-France?

The proven fact is that the region has the most masts, just ahead of the Grand-Est.

And this represents a quarter of the power produced in this way in France, i.e., at the end of 2020, 4,867 megawatts (MW).

But the information that speaks more is the number of masts that bristle the plains of Hauts-de-France.

"There are about 1,900," says Cécile Farineau, regional spokesperson for France Wind Energy, the "union" of professionals in the sector.

Why do we see clusters of wind turbines in places?

Even Karima Delli, an environmental candidate for the Union of the Left, wondered about the distribution of wind turbines.

“We are aware of the concentration in certain regions, in particular Hauts-de-France.

But it has all the topographical characteristics favorable to the establishment of wind power, ”admits Cécile Farineau.

And on the presence of "wind poles" rather than scattering the masts, it is finally a decision that was recorded "more than ten years ago during the Grenelle environment", specifies the spokesperson.

Is a wind turbine an eco-responsible object?

France Wind Energy ensures that a wind turbine is 80% recyclable.

“To date, only the blades, in fiberglass or carbon, are not recyclable.

But sectors are being created to solve this problem, ”says Cécile Farineau.

Likewise, the new regulations, adopted in June 2020, require installers to remove the entire concrete base when dismantling the mast.

But the question had not yet been asked, the first parks installed arriving just at the end of their lifespan, estimated between 20 and 25 years.

Do you need thousands of wind turbines to compensate for a nuclear reactor?

One of the candidates argued that 2,000 wind turbines were needed to produce as much as a conventional nuclear reactor.

This is far from accurate.

Knowing that the smallest model of reactor has a power of 900 MW and that a conventional wind turbine reaches 3 MW, the division is quickly made: 300 is enough.

Even for the most powerful reactor model (1,450 MW), we are far from the figure put forward.

“In any case, there is no question of replacing nuclear power with wind power.

These are production methods that complement each other, ”explains Cécile Farineau.

Is the wind sector a source of employment?

According to France Wind Energy, the sector has nearly 2,150 full-time equivalent (FTE) jobs.

This figure includes everything from trades ranging from design offices to maintenance, including subcontractors.

“It's very diffuse employment, but the sector is booming.

The projects to install parks in instruction could allow the number of jobs to be doubled over the next ten years ”, estimates Cécile Farineau.

By way of comparison, the nuclear industry in Hauts-de-France generates more than 15,000 induced jobs according to the Regional Chamber of Commerce and Industry, including 2,000 EDF employees on the Gravelines site alone.

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  • Regional elections

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  • Wind turbine

  • Energetic transition

  • renewable energy