RWE and TotalEnergies have inaugurated the new Coupru onshore wind farm as part of a wider project aiming to accelerate the energy transition in the French department of Aisne.
With its five wind turbines and a total capacity of 12 megawatts (MW), the Coupru wind farm represents an investment of 20 million euros and is expected to produce 31 gigawatt hours of green electricity on average per year, corresponding to the equivalent of the annual electricity consumption of 9,500 households.
The electricity produced by the turbines will be fed into the national power distribution network while supplying electricity to the entire community of Charly-sur-Marne in the Aisne department.
“This success has only been possible thanks to our close cooperation with our partner RWE and with all local elected officials and stakeholders who took part in the project, said Charles d'Andigné, Strategy Director at TotalEnergies Renouvelables France. “We firmly believe that the active participation of all local stakeholders is essential for the development of renewable energy projects that generate value in the context of climate change and the energy transition.”
Katja Wünschel, Chief Executive Officer at RWE Renewables Europe & Australia: “I am happy that we have inaugurated our next onshore wind farm in France, one of our key markets to grow our business. To make onshore wind a success, it is important to work hand in hand with the local communities and get the support of the mayors, whom I’d like to take this opportunity to thank. I would also like to thank the entire team and all of our partners who have worked hard to integrate the Coupru wind farm so well into the existing landscape. It is thus a perfect illustration of how the energy transition is being advanced locally. As RWE, we are proud to provide the technical expertise and financial capacity to bring such projects to fruition.”
A step forward for France
While the Coupru project represents a great achievement for the Aisne region, it will also help France to honor its commitments in terms of renewable energy production. Today, wind energy is a safe, competitive and renewable energy locally produced in France, thus securing the country’s energy supply.
With a total of 21 GW installed in France, wind power is currently an integral part of the country’s electricity mix, providing more than 26,000 jobs and accounting for around 9% of electricity consumption. On 31 March, wind power set a production record in France with a peak of 355 GWh, representing nearly 30% of the country’s electricity consumption on that day.
