The Andilly-Les-Marais citizen wind farm has won WindEurope’s inaugural ‘Fast and Fair’ award for community engagement in the wind sector.
The 16.8MW Valorem-backed project, located near La Rochelle, was chosen by a panel of judges for its strong community relations, transparency and local benefit provision, WindEurope said.
“We received very strong applications for the award from across Europe,” said WindEurope CEO Tinne Van de Straeten. “They all had one thing in common: they aimed to deliver clean power faster, while keeping citizens on board.
“Our finalists stood out for building confidence through community engagement, responsible environmental protection and tangible local value creation.
“They show that fast permitting, public acceptance and energy security go hand in hand,” she added.
Launched in partnership with NGOs and local governments, the Fast and Fair Award is designed to recognise wind projects that highlight how the sector works with local communities and authorities to deliver projects that are both fast to permit and fair to the communities they affect.
Andilly-Les-Marais is equipped with three 200-metre-high Vestas turbines and started operating in 2024.
It was initiated in 2017 by the municipality and developed by COOPEC, a local citizen company, Valorem and Terra Energies, the investment fund of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region.
The project is part of a local political, economic, and social initiative to empower citizens to take ownership of their energy, Valorem said.
Other finalists for the award included VSB’s 106MW Elster repowering project in Germany, and the 320MW Zeewolde wind farm project in the Netherlands.