3 questions to Juliette Saunier

Juliette Saunier is ORE Technical and Business Developer on the France Energies Marines team. We interviewed her as part of our Institute’s 2022 activity report.

Why is the Institute developing research services?

The research services activity is necessary to ensure the long-term viability of France Energies Marines’ development model. It enables us to meet the specific, highly targeted needs of private or public-sector clients requiring a high level of confidentiality and expertise. It is the perfect complement to collaborative R&D, which responds to the global challenges of the ORE sector. Research services also enable the Institute to disseminate the know-how generated by its projects to the offshore wind and ocean energy sectors, which are undergoing rapid development.

Demand in the floating offshore wind energy sector is growing as a result of the strong commitments made by France and the European Union in this area. The research services provided by France Energies Marines enable us to respond to the new issues inherent in the development of this sector, such as environmental integration and engineering to ensure the reliability of new components.

What is France Energies Marines’ added value in this respect?

Our strength lies in our multidisciplinary team of more than 70 engineers and researchers who work transversally. This enables us to take a holistic approach to the issues at stake, combining an efficient resolution of the questions posed with a detailed vision of the different aspects to be dealt with. The annual rate at which R&D projects are set up means that we can constantly update our knowledge and keep abreast of current and future issues in the highly dynamic field of MRE. The very high quality of the work we carry out as part of our applied research services is recognised by our clients, such as the French Office for Biodiversity. Our neutral position means that we can work equally well with wind farm developers, governments, consultancies, insurers, etc.

What are your short- and medium-term objectives for this activity?

We are going to continue structuring our offer, as this is still a new activity for the Institute. At the end of each service we provide, we produce a feedback report with a view to continuous improvement. Our aim is to expand our client base to include all players in the ORE sector, in France in the short term and in Europe in the medium term. We are committed to working alongside, rather than in competition with, design offices, to offer high added-value services.

Photo credit: France Energies Marines