“No, no and no”, insist Allain Bougrain-Dubourg and Christophe Sueur in one voice. The president of the League for the Protection of Birds (LPO) and the mayor of Saint-Pierre-d'Oléron (Charente-Maritime) have decided to make common cause against the offshore wind farm off the island of Oléron . While the State is currently conducting a “competitive dialogue” with 9 industrialists and candidates in order to build nearly 80 wind turbines, these two declared opponents of offshore wind “express, unanimously, their deep disagreement against this project (…) distorting the islands of Oléron and Ré”.
Future joint actions
Allain Bougrain-Dubourg and Christophe Sueur underline “a risk of serious and irremediable damage to biodiversity and the seabed and which could lead to the decline of migratory birds”. The alliance of the media president of the LPO – firmly committed against accidental captures of dolphins – and Christophe Sueur – defender of Oléron fisheries – may be surprising. However, their interests converge in the face of the wind project now envisaged more than 39 km from the island of Oléron and 45 km from the island of Ré. After voting for an unfavorable "motion" and attempting a voluntary appeal, Saint-Pierre-d'Oléron filed an appeal with the Council of State in January 2023. The LPO, for its part, is considering attacking the future interministerial decree approving the construction of the Oléron wind farm.
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These ad hoc allies promise future joint actions and are currently trying to unite opponents of offshore wind power. The South Atlantic offshore wind project – its official name – aims to produce 1 gigawatt (GW) of electricity over an area of 120 km². The State, which intends to produce 45 GW at sea by 2050, is also talking about the construction of a second offshore park off the coast of Oléron.