BayWa r.e., a global company specializing in renewable energy, has inaugurated the 12 MW Clos Neuf wind farm in the Brittany region of France. This is a pioneering project of the company in the country due to the level of citizen participation and involvement.
Local and regional residents have contributed to the financing of the plan with a total of one million euros, being 500,000 in shares and the other 500,000 in bonds. The operation has been carried out in collaboration with the “Banque des Territoires” savings bank and Quénéa, a partner of BayWa r.e. in the development of this park. Two-thirds of the investors live within a 10km radius around the facility.
In addition to the financial contribution, citizens will be actively involved in making decisions about the management of the plant during the operation phase, something unprecedented in France. For example, they will have decision-making power over local contracts. These shareholders will be represented with two seats on the strategic committee of the Clos Neuf project.
“A fundamental condition for the acceptance of renewable projects is the participation of the local community in their management and economic performance, right from the development phase. It is also a very important aspect for us. On the other hand, the collaboration with Banque des Territoires provides a safe and low-risk investment scenario for individuals and local authorities”, said Can Nalbantoglu, CEO of BayWa r.e. France.
The project has not encountered any opposition during its development phase, something that demonstrates the work of the BayWa r.e. in France in terms of citizen acceptance. The company and Quénéa involved the inhabitants of the region from day one: they held information sessions, open days and presentations to the City Council. Thanks to their investment in the project, the shareholders, including the municipality of Merdrignac, will benefit from the economic performance of the wind farm throughout its useful life. The bondholders can invest a maximum amount of 10,000 euros per lender and will benefit from an annual interest rate of 5%.
Lorenzo Palombi, Global Director of Wind Projects at BayWa r.e., commented: “The community must be involved in every step of the development of a renewable project, something that is especially important for BayWa r.e. This translates into collaboration between the company, citizens and local institutions, allowing their economic and strategic participation in the process. A renewable energy project represents a transformation, but beyond the economic benefits, it also brings a new impetus to the community. This is the dynamic we need to have a more sustainable and better future for all”.
The wind farm has four turbines with a capacity of 12MW. It will produce 26GWh annually, the equivalent of the electricity consumed by 14,000 inhabitants of Brittany in a year. This will save around 8,120 tons of CO2 per year into the atmosphere and contribute to France’s climate goals for 2030.
In BayWa r.e. we rethink how to produce, store and use energy in the best possible way to enable the global transition to renewable energy, so essential for the future of our planet.
We are leaders in the development, distribution and supply of renewable energy services and solutions; we have exceeded 4.5 GW of energy connected to the grid and we manage more than 10 GW in assets. We are also independent power producers with an expanding power trading area.
In Spain, BayWa r.e has been present since 2010, developing renewable energy projects, both photovoltaic and wind. It already has a project portfolio of around 2 GW and has built more than 600 MW of wind and photovoltaic projects. To date, the company has signed 600 MW of PPAs in the country.
In addition, it offers Operation and Maintenance services and asset management, it has more than 29 wind and photovoltaic plants in maintenance, 600 MW in portfolio and a pipeline of 2.25 GW for 2025. In 2021, this division continues to focus its efforts on technical and commercial operation and maintenance, revamping, digitization and complete Asset Management.
