GDF Suez reaches 1,000 MW mark for wind

PARIS, Jan. 5 (UPI) -- The commissioning of a 12-megawatt wind farm in France means energy company GDF Suez passed the 1,000 MW for installed domestic wind power, the company said.

Executives with GDF Suez inaugurated the 12 MW wind farm near the northern coast of France this week. That addition means the French energy company has passed the 1,000 MW mark for operational wind power in the country.

Gerard Mestrallet, chairman and chief executive officer at GDF Suez, said there was a significant potential to expand wind power in the country.

"Reaching the 1,000 MW mark in onshore wind power in France demonstrates the commitment and ambition of GDF SUEZ in renewable energies, and our determination to develop efficient, economical and environment-friendly power projects in French heartland," he said in a statement.

The European Union has bloc-wide ambitions to decarbonize the economy by the middle of the century. The French government set of goal of 6,000 MW of installed wind capacity by 2020. As of last year, at least five offshore wind farms are planned for the French coast.

GDF Suez said it aims to have 2,000 MW of onshore wind power installed in the country by 2016.