IN Brief:
- Administrative decisions have been issued for Cube Green Energy repowering proposals at three existing French wind farms.
- The projects envisage increasing combined installed power from 24 MW to approximately 50.5 MW.
- The next steps involve turbine selection, site and grid engineering, equipment contracts and sequencing of the replacement works.
Cube Green Energy has secured administrative approvals for repowering three operating wind farms in France, raising their combined proposed capacity from 24 MW to approximately 50.5 MW. The sites are in the Cantal, Pas-de-Calais and Meuse departments, where the developer plans to replace older generating equipment with higher-capacity turbines. Cube says the authorities have published the relevant decisions, allowing the schemes to move towards procurement and implementation within their permitted configurations.
The Cantal development is expected to grow from 6 MW to 12.5 MW, while the Pas-de-Calais wind farm would rise from 8 MW to 17 MW. In Meuse, the current 10 MW is proposed to increase to nearly 21 MW. Taken together, the figures represent an uplift of about 26.5 MW, more than doubling the portfolio’s installed rating if the new schemes are delivered. They describe the capacity that the approved proposals are intended to provide; the existing 24 MW remains the current operating baseline.
The older sites offer an established generation footprint. Cube identifies the Cantal wind farm as operating since 2009 and the Meuse site since 2008, meaning their turbines have passed through many years of exposure, maintenance and output variation. Repowering can replace relatively small or ageing machines with more efficient models, using parts of an established site where technical and planning conditions permit. Cube has not specified which foundations, collection cables or other existing assets it intends to retain at the three locations.
A repowering scheme is more involved than exchanging the rotor or generator of an existing machine. New turbines can have different tower heights, rotor dimensions and mechanical loads, requiring assessment of foundations, spacing, crane access and transport routes. Existing electrical collection cables, transformers and switchgear must also be checked against the proposed export rating. A grid connection designed for a smaller wind farm cannot automatically accommodate a much higher output without the necessary electrical studies and, potentially, reinforcement.
Increasing installed power is only one measure of what repowering can achieve. A larger rotor can intercept more wind energy, while modern generators and controls may improve operation across part of a site’s wind-speed range. Annual production, however, depends on the chosen turbines, local wind distribution, wake losses, availability and connection restrictions. Cube’s 50.5 MW combined target is a rating for proposed equipment; an annual GWh projection has not been established for these three schemes and should be assessed when final designs are known.
The administrative decisions establish a regulatory step for the proposed replacements, according to Cube. Delivery will then require matching equipment choices to the conditions attached to the approvals, confirming site access and lifting arrangements, securing grid-related agreements and arranging any necessary environmental controls. Project-specific limits on turbine dimensions, environmental protection and construction activity will shape the final engineering selections and procurement programme.
For an operating wind farm, the changeover must also manage the interval between removing old turbines and putting new equipment into service. The developer will have to sequence turbine shutdowns, dismantling, foundation and access work, electrical installation and system tests. Work around any remaining live equipment introduces additional isolation and safety requirements. Scheduling these stages affects the period of lost generation and the coordination of heavy-lift contractors, specialist transport and the grid operator.
Higher installed capacity changes the electrical loading that may pass through the collection network and export connection. Cable ampacity, transformer thermal ratings, switchgear fault duties and protection settings need to suit the replacement turbines. Grid compliance will also involve the reactive-power and fault-response characteristics of their converters, together with any limits on output at the connection point. Existing grid infrastructure may be reused only where its rating and condition meet the new design; that assessment forms part of the detailed engineering work after approval.
Cube Green Energy, backed by I Squared Capital, specialises in replacing ageing European wind assets and also develops solar and storage projects. Across the three approved French wind farms, investment planning will now have to connect the authorised capacities with turbine supply, dismantling works, foundation requirements and each network interface. Procurement and construction sequencing will determine when the older equipment can be retired and the replacement assets made ready for testing. The administrative decisions bring those tasks into focus without changing the present generation fleet.
The approvals provide a basis for progressing three separate replacement programmes at the Cantal, Pas-de-Calais and Meuse sites. Their capacity trajectories are now defined at 12.5 MW, 17 MW and almost 21 MW respectively, against 6 MW, 8 MW and 10 MW currently operating. Detailed turbine selection, electrical design, contractor appointments and project timetables are the next delivery steps. The combined capacity increase of roughly 26.5 MW will materialise as operating generation only after those works and commissioning.
