Extract
[...] This dynamic has been illustrated by the organization of the public debate on the Maritime Space Planning (PSM) in 2023-2024, led by the National Commission for Public Debate (CNDP), whose objective is to identify future areas suitable for offshore wind energy. In parallel, the energy programming provides for the commissioning of fifty wind farms by 2050, with a target of 40 GW installed, inscribed in the multi-annual energy planning (PPE) and the national low-carbon strategy. New commercial calls for tenders (AO5 and AO6) have also been launched in 2023-2024. These now integrate more stringent criteria in terms of local consultation, environmental quality and creation of industrial value on the territory. These evolutions reflect a progressive strengthening of the sector. [...]
[...] This concept allows analyzing how transitions are performed, that is to say, concretely implemented, in local situations, through devices such as calls for tenders, zoning, expertise, consultations, etc. It also allows observing frictions, resistances, adjustments within the transition devices themselves. If public policies produce these potentials, often trying to stabilize a particular vision of transition, it remains that the potentials are manufactured, justified, stabilized, or contested, and that therefore the transition is always situated and negotiated. Thus, the decarbonization objective, although undeniable in itself, is not sufficient to define the nature of a true energy transition. [...]
[...] The objective of decarbonization France has been showcasing a strong ambition in the field of energy transition for several years, driven by the need to respond to the climate emergency. The objective of decarbonizing the economy - i.e. the massive reduction of greenhouse gas emissions - is imposed as a structuring imperative of public policies. In this context, the French particularity lies in the central place attributed to nuclear energy, perceived not only as a stable component of the energy mix, but also as a key lever to achieve climate objectives. However, this strategy raises questions about the real nature of the change engaged. [...]
[...] In this context, Desvallées and de Sartre (2023) insist on the absence of a true structuring narrative around offshore wind power. Unlike other European countries, France fails to anchor this technology in a coherent vision of the national energy future. This weakens the legitimacy of offshore wind development, perceived locally as redundant compared to a mix dominated by nuclear power. The lack of clarity on the reasons for implantation in certain areas, combined with poor quality public debate, fuels contestation and slows down projects. [...]
[...] Offshore wind power is becoming a lever for local development, carrying a positive economic narrative. However, this local mobilization coexists with strong oppositions. Offshore wind power is often perceived as redundant in an already decarbonized energy mix thanks to nuclear power, which fuels criticisms of distributive justice: the nuisances would be local, for a collective benefit considered limited (Desvallées & de Sartre, 2023). At the local level, opposing collectives (DLN1 to DLN6) rely on a patrimonial vision of the coastlines and denounce a lack of consultation. [...]
