Eiffage Métal and Engie Solutions to build Saint-Brieuc offshore substation

Ailes Marines has selected Eiffage Métal and Engie Solutions to manufacture the offshore substation for the 496 MW wind farm in the Bay of Saint-Brieuc.

Eiffage Métal will be in charge of the engineering and construction of the upper part of the substation, housing the transformers and electrical equipment. The company will also fabricate the foundation for the substation.

The construction work will mainly be carried out at Eiffage’s facilities in Belgium (Arendonk, Balen, Tessenderlo, Hoboken) and in Poland (Zary).

ENGIE Solutions in Belgium is responsible for the engineering, procurement, integration, construction and testing (on- and offshore) of all LV, MV, HV and auxiliary systems for the jacket and the topside. The engineering, procurement, construction, integration and onshore testing for the topside systems will take place at the ENGIE Solutions yard in Hoboken, Belgium. For the jacket, these activities will take place in Vlissingen.

Engineering and construction works have already been started for the topside and the jacket. The sail away of both the topside and the jacket is scheduled for the spring/summer of 2022.

The substation will collect the electricity produced by the wind farm’s 62 Siemens Gamesa 8 MW wind turbines by raising the electrical voltage, through power transformers.

The electricity will then be transported by the Electricity Transmission Network (RTE) via two 225 kV export cables.

The foundation of the electrical substation is 63 metres tall, with a total weight of 1,630 tonnes. The upper part of the substation is 55 metres long, 31 metres wide, and 23 metres tall, with a total weight of approximately 3,400 tons.

Ailes Marines, a company 100% owned by Iberdrola, is in charge of the construction, installation, and operation of the Saint-Brieuc offshore wind farm.

Since the final investment decision, Ailes Marines has practically finalized the contracts’ signatures with first-tier suppliers for the components of the Saint-Brieuc wind farm.

In September 2019, Ailes Marines selected Spain’s Navantia to fabricate the turbine foundations for the Saint-Brieuc offshore wind farm. The company has since moved to Brest’ Polder. This activity will mobilize 250 jobs over two years.

In May 2020, Ailes Marines contracted several suppliers, including Siemens Gamesa, for the supply of wind turbines in Le Havre, where the construction of the turbine manufacturer’s factory has just started.

Ailes Marines also selected Prysmian as the supplier of the submarine inter-array cables, and Van Oord for the transport and the installation of the wind farm’s foundations.

In July 2020, Ailes Marines selected Saipem for the transport and installation of both the foundation and upper part of the electrical substation.

The developer will soon announce the company selected for the latest contract regarding the supply and installation of major electrical equipment for the wind farm’s substation.

The Saint-Brieuc offshore wind farm will be built in the Bay of Saint-Brieuc in Brittany, 16.3 kilometers off the French coast on an area covering 75 square kilometres.

The installation of pin piles and turbine jacket foundations will start in the first semester of 2021. The wind farm will be fully commissioned in 2023.

Javier Garcia Perez, President of Ailes Marines and International Offshore Director of Iberdrola, said: “This is the largest contract after the one signed with Siemens Gamesa for the supply of the wind turbines and Navantia-Windar for the foundations. It is encouraging to see European governments presenting recovery plans for national economies. Green infrastructure, a major source of industrialisation and sustainable, quality jobs, is a way out of the crisis as it stimulates activity across the entire value chain. In this context, the offshore wind farm in the bay of Saint-Brieuc is contributing to overcome these difficult circumstances in France, thanks to the support of the team, our supply chain and all stakeholders. It is good to see France accelerating towards a fully decarbonised economy.”