DEME wins export cable EPCI contract for French floater

DEME’s French subsidiary SDI has secured an EPCI contract in a consortium with JDR Cables for the export cable that will connect the Leucate floating offshore wind project to the power grid.

The contract awarded by Réseau de Transport d’Électricité (RTE) represents DEME’s first floating offshore wind EPCI contract.

The export cable will include a submarine cable and an onshore cable section, connecting into the onshore substation near Le Barcarès.

Construction activities are set to start in 2022.

“We are delighted to be awarded this important EPCI contract for one of the first floating wind farms in the world,” said Philip Scheers, Business Unit Director at DEME Offshore.

“By combining RTE’s experience in grid connections, including export cables, with our extensive track record and expertise in the offshore wind sector and subsea operations, and JDR’s experience in static and dynamic cable manufacturing, the consortium partners are confident we will make this pioneering project a success – really putting the French floating offshore wind industry on the map.”

Leucate will feature three V164 MHI Vestas 10 MW turbines supported by Principle Power’s WindFloat semi-submersible floating foundations 16 km off the South East coast of France in the Mediterranean Sea.

The 30 MW wind farm is being developed by Les Eoliennes Flottantes du Golfe du Lion (EFGL), a consortium comprising Ocean Winds and Caisse de Dépôts.