Bureau Veritas to certify EolMed floating wind farm

Bureau Veritas has been awarded a contract for project certification for the 30 MW EolMed floating wind pilot project in the Mediterranean Sea, off the coast of Gruissan in France.

“This certification will ensure project reliability and sustainability, a critical step for offshore renewable energy development in Occitanie and worldwide”, said Jérôme Billerey, General Director of Qair France, the project developer.

The Bureau Veritas certification process will encompass the design specifications, the integrated load analysis, and the design evaluation with a review of analysis reports, structural drawings and specifications. The certification company will also perform independent strength and fatigue analysis.

“Being the trusted certification partner for the EolMed project is an opportunity to validate floating foundation technology. The floating wind farm sector is fast-transitioning, from prototypes to pilot farms and, ultimately, commercialisation”, said Matthieu de Tugny, Executive Vice President Marine & Offshore at Bureau Veritas.

EolMed, one of four floating wind pilot projects under development in France, will comprise three Vestas 10 MW wind turbines installed on Ideol’s Dampening Pool floating foundations anchored at an average depth of 60 metres more than 18 kilometres off the French coast. Bureau Veritas will provide technical expertise and assessment of the floating foundations, their mooring system and the dynamic sections of the inter-array cables.

The 30 MW floating wind farm, scheduled to be up and running in 2023, is owned by Qair and French energy major and oil giant Total, which bought a 20 per cent stake in October 2020.