In line with European policy, France has embarked on a programme to combat climate change based in particular on the diversification of its energy system and growth of renewable energy. The Energy Transition Law for Green Growth of August 2015, amended in November 2019 by the Energy and Climate Act, sets ambitious national targets for 2030, including:
- 33 % renewable energy in the overall final energy consumption ;
- 40% of electricity production from renewable sources.
To meet these targets, France has embarked on an ambitious programme to build offshore wind farms along its various coastlines.
The offshore wind farm project off Dunkirk and its electrical connection are located in the Nord department (59), in the Dunkirk urban community.
The wind farm will be located more than 10 km off the coast of Dunkirk, and more than 11.4 km off the coast of the seaside towns on either side of the border with Belgium, covering an overall area of no more than 50 km². It will comprise a maximum of 46 wind turbines with a total maximum output of 600 MW (megawatts). Turbines will be installed on monopile foundations and connected to an offshore substation by a network of inter-turbine cables. The offshore wind farm will generate around 2.3 TWh (terawatt hours) of electricity per year, equivalent to the annual electricity consumption of almost one million people.
A maintenance base for the offshore wind farm will be built in Dunkirk, within the boundaries of the Grand Port Maritime de Dunkerque (GPMD), to operate and maintain the wind farm for 30 years.
Electrical connection of the wind farm includes a maritime section - located on the one hand on the State's natural maritime public domain and on the other hand on the State's maritime public domain administered by the GPMD. It comprises an offshore substation and a double 225,000-volt submarine link of around 17 km linking the offshore substation to the landing zone in the municipality of Dunkirk (Mardyck). It also comprises an onshore section in the municipalities of Dunkirk (Mardyck) and Loon-Plage - a double underground electricity link of around 6.5 km to an onshore substation in the industrial port zone, which is itself connected to the existing electricity transmission network nearby via two double 300-metre overhead links.
Project owners
- Société Eoliennes en mer de Dunkerque (EMD)
- 43 Boulevard des Bouvets
- 92000 Nanterre
- Société RTE Hauts-de-France, Service Concertation, Environnement, Tiers
- 62 Rue Louis Delos
- 59700 Marcq-en-Barœul
Project ownership is held jointly by:
- The consortium company Éoliennes en Mer de Dunkerque (EMD), which owns the offshore wind farm ;
- RTE (Réseau de Transport d’Electricité), operator of the French public electricity grid, responsible for ownership of the grid connection of the wind farm to the public electricity grid.
The public inquiry is a statutory procedure providing information, ensuring public participation and taking account of the interests of third parties when making decisions liable to affect the environment. It is now known as an environmental inquiry and is codified in Articles L123 and R123 of French Environmental Code. Within the framework of the inquiry, the duration of which is established by the organising authority in its opening order, public information is provided by means of the inquiry dossier made available at the inquiry location(s) and online. Any person wishing to do so can participate in the inquiry by submitting a contribution to the registers opened for this purpose at the inquiry location(s) and digitally. They can also communicate with the Inquiry Commissioner during the course of its information sessions generally held at the town hall.
Organising authorities
- Préfecture du Nord
- 12 Rue Jean Sans Peur
- 59000 Lille
- Préfecture du Pas-de-Calais
- Rue Ferdinand Buisson
- 62000 Arras
Headquarters of the public inquiry
- Mairie de Dunkerque
- Place Charles Valentin
- 59140 Dunkerque
Inquiry locations
The public inquiry is conducted and led by several Inquiry Commissioners forming a «Commission of Inquiry». Neutral and independent parties, registered from the reserve lists for the year, the Inquiry Commissioners have been appointed by the President of the Administrative Tribunal or, in certain cases, by the Prefect. As the guarantors of the smooth progress of inquiry proceedings, the Inquiry Commissioners gather all contributions received from the public in writing, digitally or during information sessions during the inquiry and rendent following its conclusion leur report and reasoned conclusions.
Find out more about the Inquiry Commissioners : www.cnce.fr
Composition of the Commission of Inquiry
The commission of inquiry was appointed by decision no. E23000160/59 the Chairman’s of Tribunal Administratif de Lille.
Sir Michel HOUDAIN - Inquiry Commissioner - retraité de la gendarmerie nationale
Sir Marc LEROY - Inquiry Commissioner - premier clerc de notaire, retraité
Participation options
Comments and suggestions can be submitted for the entire duration of the public inquiry as detailed below :
- To this digital register,
- Sent by e-mail ([email protected]),
- To the registers « papier » provided at the seventeen inquiry locations, during public opening hours,
- During the course of information sessions,
- Be sent for the attention of the Chairwoman of the Commission of Inquiry’s, Madam Jocelyne MALHEIRO, by post , avec la mention « CONFIDENTIEL - Enquête publique éolien en mer de Dunkerque », before proceedings close, to the headquarters of the public inquiry, Mairie de Dunkerque, Place Charles Valentin, 59140 Dunkerque
All contributions submitted in a non-compliant manner or received outside the inquiry’s open period the public inquiry will not be taken into account.
The Commission of Inquiry’s information sessions
The Inquiry Commissioners are at the disposal of the public, without an appointment, to hear their comments during of the thirty-five information sessions outlined below.