RWE expands market presence in France and Poland: Construction of four onshore wind farms

• Investment decision for three onshore wind projects in France and one in Poland
• RWE enters French market after acquisition of Nordex pipeline and expands European portfolio in onshore wind farms with a total installed capacity of 76 megawatts
• Total investment about €95 million

Katja Wünschel, COO Wind Onshore and PV Europe & APAC, RWE Renewables: “Through the acquisition of the Nordex project pipeline in 2020, we aimed at expanding our market presence especially in France. We are now following our words with actions. The first three onshore wind farms are being constructed in France, and work on one of these has already begun. As this shows, we are consistent in making use of the growth opportunities that come our way. It also highlights our ambition to further expand our position as one of the world’s leading renewable energy companies.”

RWE’s European renewables business has gained further impetus with decisions taken to invest in four new onshore wind farms with a total installed capacity of 76 megawatts (MW). Three of the projects are located in France, and one in Poland. The first French project is already under construction, and work will begin on the three other projects in the first quarter of 2021. The overall investment for the four projects amounts to approximately €95 million.

The 26 MW onshore wind farm “Les Pierrots” is RWE’s premiere in France. It is located in the Centre-Val de Loire region, 250 km south of Paris. The three remaining projects are the 18 MW “Les Hauts Bouleaux”, the 15 MW “Martinpuich” wind farm in the north of France and the 17 MW onshore wind farm “Rozdrazew”, located in Poland, 80 km south-east of Poznan. 

All these projects arose from the purchase of the European onshore wind and solar development business of Nordex SE, which RWE acquired in November 2020. This acquisition added a further 2.7 gigawatts (GW) in France, Spain, Sweden and Poland to RWE’s existing 22 GW development pipeline. The bulk of the new portfolio – 1.9 GW – is based in France. The development business also included a team of more than 70 employees with extensive experience in this area, which is now part of RWE Renewables.

RWE is one of the world’s leading renewables companies. By the end of 2022, the company aims to expand its portfolio to a net capacity of more than 13 gigawatts, involving an investment of €5 billion net; together with partners, the gross investment volume can amount up to €9 billion. The expansion is focused on North America, its core markets in Europe and the Asia-Pacific region.