2024-01-18 01:19:44
“All the members are enthusiastic and excited! It’s a great adventure,” assures Bertrand Cardinal, the volunteer president of Coopec, the Citizen Energy Production Cooperative in Aunis-Atlantique. The installation of the largest wind turbines in France has just begun in Andilly-les-Marais, near La Rochelle (Charente-Maritime). Three wind generators with a total power of 16.8 megawatts will be erected there in the coming weeks to form the first citizen wind farm in New Aquitaine.
300 members
More than 300 people, aged from a few months to 92 years, joined Coopec to finance the installation of these wind turbines and contribute to the energy transition. “We are achieving locally what many citizens aspire to,” adds Bertrand Cardinal. It’s a good antidote to eco-anxiety. » Ultimately, these machines, 200 meters high at the tip of the blade, will supply 10,600 surrounding homes.
“The six sections of the first mast are currently assembled before the nacelle and the rotor. Then the three blades will be installed this Friday January 19 if all goes well. The only constraint is the wind. It should not be too strong,” summarizes the president of Coopec. The assembly of the two other wind turbines will take place immediately.
“Whatever happens, everything must be finished before March 1 to respect the nesting and reproduction period for wildlife,” recalls Bertrand Cardinal. This will then be followed by connection to the electricity network and a battery of tests, specifies this volunteer. The three wind turbines will be operating at full capacity this summer. This citizen project was completed in less than six years and did not give rise to any legal action.
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