New offshore wind era dawns in France

The west coast of France was this week treated to sights never before seen in this country.

If you happened to be in or near the Port Atlantique La Rochelle in the past several days, you might have witnessed a first in France’s emerging offshore wind industry: a giant jack-up vessel loading the first wind turbine monopiles and transition pieces to be installed on a commercial wind farm offshore France.

Earlier this week, DEME Offshore’s installation vessel Innovation loaded the first three sets of monopiles and transition pieces to be installed at the Saint-Nazaire offshore wind farm at the Port of Rochelle.

AIS data shows that Innovation has already arrived at the installation site and the installation of the first hardware could already be underway.

As reported earlier, the jacket foundation for the wind farm’s substation was installed by DEME’s Sea Installer at the end of April.

The installation of the wind turbine foundations started slightly later than announced earlier this year when the kick-off was slated for the end of March.

In total, DEME will transport and install 80 monopile foundations at the site located between 12 and 20 kilometres off the coast of the Guérande peninsula.

Offshore construction on the project started back in August 2020 with export cable installation and preparatory works.

Saint-Nazaire, also known as Parc du Banc de Guérande, will comprise 80 GE Haliade 150-6MW turbines manufactured in France and scheduled to be operational in the summer of 2022.

The 480 MW project is being developed in the Loire-Atlantique region by Canada’s Enbridge and its partner EDF Renouvelables.

Saint-Nazaire is at the most advanced development stage of all of the six offshore wind projects selected in France’s first and second tendering rounds back in 2012 and 2014.

France currently has 2 MW of operating offshore wind capacity.

However, the country is currently in the process of awarding 8.75 GW of fixed-bottom and floating offshore wind capacity out to tender by 2028.

With the six projects selected in 2012 and 2014, the 600 MW Dunkirk tender held in 2019, and the four demonstration floating wind projects under development, France will have up to around 12.4 GW of fixed-bottom and floating offshore wind capacity either in operation or under development by the end of 2028.