Partners
The Mediterranean Regional Shellfish Farming Committee (Comité Régional de Conchyliculture de Méditerranée (CRMC))
The Thau Basin Joint Syndicate (Syndicat Mixte du Bassin de Thau (SMBT))
Finances
Equity
French State
Hérault Prefecture
Occitanie/Pyrénées-Méditerranée Region
The SolarinThau Project
The Mediterranean Regional Shellfish Farming Committee (Comité régional de conchyliculture de Méditerranée (CRCM)), the Thau Basin Joint Syndicate (Syndicat mixte du bassin de Thau) and SolarinBlue, working together as a consortium, are taking on a major challenge: the creation of a prototype floating photovoltaic shellfish farm for the cultivation of oysters and mussels.
Picture SolarinThau being towed towards the Thau lagoon; Copyright DTS & SolarinBlue
Named SolarinThau and supported by the State, the Hérault Prefecture and the Occitanie Region, this demonstrator project addresses a strong ambition: to imagine new solutions to support the future of the shellfish farming sector – which produces more than 10,000 tons of oysters and mussels annually, has more than 1,000 shellfish farming tables, and represents more than 1,500 jobs – while also addressing the energy and environmental challenges of the region.
Measuring 52 by 18 meters – the dimensions of a typical oyster-farming table on the Thau Lagoon – this next-generation oyster-farming demonstrator will be tested over an 18-month period, from July 2026 to December 2027. Matching the average duration of a full oyster-farming cycle, this experimental phase will provide the necessary conditions to assess the prototype’s effectiveness and operational viability.
Key Figures
- 52 meters by 18 meters
- 10 tons of oysters
A pioneering project, carried out by a consortium
The SolarinThau consortium is supported by the French government and the Occitanie region. It brings together the Mediterranean Regional Shellfish Farming Committee (CRCM), the Thau Basin Joint Authority (SMBT) and SolarinBlue.
Based on SolarinBlue’s technology, the SolarinThau project is a first in the Mediterranean and worldwide.
A project currently being rolled out
The tow from the Port of Sète to the Thau Lagoon took place on Sunday 7 June 2026.
The launch of SolarinThau is scheduled for early July.
About SolarinBlue
SolarinBlue is the French leader in floating offshore solar power. Its mission is to free solar photovoltaic power from competition for land use by moving it into the maritime domain and enabling hybrid wind and solar farms.
SolarinBlue was founded in December 2019 and is actively developing floating offshore photovoltaic technology for harsh offshore conditions (waves of 10+ metres and winds of 200 km/h), with the lowest possible environmental footprint and a 30-year lifespan.
About the Mediterranean Regional Shellfish Farming Committee (Comité Régional de Conchyliculture de Méditerranée (CRCM))
Founded in 1950, the CRCM is composed of members from seven production areas around the Mediterranean: Leucate, Gruissan, Vendres, Thau, Port-Saint-Louis-du-Rhône, La Seyne-sur-Mer and Aléria (Corsica).
Responsible for representing the professionals of shellfish farming from all Mediterranean production basins, from Leucate to Corsica, the CRCM is, by its scope of activity, the largest regional committee in France.
About the Thau Basin Joint Syndicate (Syndicat Mixte du Bassin de Thau (SMBT))
The SMBT coordinates the following for the Thau and Ingril catchment areas:
• the SCOT (Territorial Coherence Plan)
• the SAGE (Water Development and Management Plan)
• the CGITE (Integrated Management and Ecological Transition Contract for the Thau region)
• the SLGRI (Local Flood Risk Management Strategy)
The SMBT also coordinates:
• the Natura 2000 network of sites in the Thau lagoon and the Villeveyrac–Montagnac plain
• the DLAL EMFF Thau and its coastal strip action programme (European Maritime and Fisheries Fund)