Workshop on tidal energy organized by Ifremer in Boulogne sur mer

The exploitation of tidal energy is still at a confidential stage in France. Major efforts from the entire scientific community is required in order to provide effective support to industrial tidal projects.

on June 20, 2023

Essais au bassin de Boulogne pour les participants du colloque hydrolien ( © Ifremer - A. de Pas)
Essais au bassin de Boulogne pour les participants du colloque hydrolien ( © Ifremer - A. de Pas)
Against this backdrop, the Boulogne-sur-Mer team of the Laboratoire d'hydrodynamique marine (LHyMar) organized a scientific symposium on offshore tidal turbines on June 7 and 8, attracting 40 participants from academia and industry.
"The first industrial successes and the tools developed by the entire scientific community now enable the industry to propose large-scale projects. Ifremer can fully play its role as a facilitator to launch integrated projects, from tank experiments to full-scale sea trials, also including numerical simulation", emphasizes Grégory Germain, hydrodynamics researcher and organizer of the symposium.

In addition to the scientific presentations, the focus was on two industrial projects. The first, Flowatt, led by Hydroquest, aims to install a pilot farm of seven tidal turbines by 2026 in the Raz Blanchard, an area of strong currents at the tip of the Cotentin peninsula. The second is by Sabella, with a tidal turbine currently in operation off the tip of Brittany to power the island of Ouessant, and two prototypes due to be installed in early 2024 in the Gulf of Morbihan.
Published on June 20, 2023 Updated on June 20, 2023