More wind power added to French grid

PARIS, June 24 (UPI) -- A French energy company said Friday it commissioned one of the most powerful wind farms of its kind in the country, equipped with "stealth" technology.

French energy company EDF Group commissioned its Ensemble Eolien Catalan wind farm, a 96-megawatt installation in the southeastern border regions of the country. The company said the large-scale wind farm is equipped with so-called stealth turbines, which allows wind farms to co-exist with weather radars installed near the coastal region.

"Technological innovation has always been at the heart of our commitment and will be a major driver of this development," EDF President and CEO Jean-Bernard Levy said in a statement.

The wind farm is billed as the most powerful wind farm in France, surpassing the potential output from the previous No. 1 in the country by 10 percent. The Ensemble Eolien Catalan wind farm has enough power to meet the demands of about 120,000 people.

Data provided by the statistics office for the European Union finds France has the third largest share of renewable energy in its national portfolio with 12 percent, behind Germany and Italy, respectively. Member states are obligated to hit the 20 percent mark by 2020.

In terms of installed wind capacity, France ranks third behind Germany and Spain. The United Kingdom held the No. 3 spot in terms of 2015 wind energy capacity, though voters Friday decided to leave the European Union.

France last year added 1 gigawatt of wind power to the grid.