Q ENERGY will go ahead with a 66 MW floating solar power plant in France calling it the 'largest' of its kind in the country, and the 2nd largest in Europe authorized to date.
Q ENERGY Solutions SE, part of Korea's Hanwha Solutions Corporation, will execute the project through its local presence Q ENERGY France after winning the project in the PPE2 auction by the French government. The Les Ilots Blandin Floating Solar Plant has full permission and a secure tariff to begin construction in H1/2023.
This capacity will be spread across several islands over a 127-hectare site of former gravel pits that haven't been in use since 2020. Modules on floats will be anchored to the banks or bottom of the flooded pits. The project is scheduled for commissioning in mid-2024.
Q ENERGY France has around 1 GW completed solar and wind energy projects that came from RES Group's French business that was acquired by Hanwha Solutions in 2021. RES Group had announced securing building permit for 65.5 MW floating solar capacity in France in September 2021 (see 65.5 MW Floating Solar Plant In Europe).
Q ENERGY France counts its development pipeline to comprise more than 200 MW floating PV projects, mainly in regions that formerly hosted quarries.
The French company along with Q ENERGY Europe are subsidiaries of Q ENERGY Solutions that was rebranded from Qcells with 12 GW renewables development portfolio across Europe in July 2022 (see Hanwha Qcells Rebrands Q Energy For Europe).