Tidal array at Paimpol-Bréhat fully deployed

 
The second turbine for EDF’s Paimpol-Bréhat tidal array has been successfully deployed by OpenHydro, a DCNS company.

After leaving the port of Brest the turbine reached its site off the coast of Brittany, and was lowered on to the seabed on May 29, in under an hour by OpenHydro’s deployment barge, DCNS informed.

The second 16 metre turbine will operate at a depth of 40 metres below the surface – close to the first device which was deployed in January.

Over the summer, the array will be connected to a subsea converter, developed by General Electric.

A single cable will make landfall – exporting 1 MW of energy to the French electrical grid.

James Ives, OpenHydro Chief Executive, said: “Paimpol-Bréhat is a global industry first, giving us key insights into the operation of our turbines at array scale. On a technical and industrial level, it will help us prepare for delivery of EDF Energies Nouvelles’ Normandie Hydro project – a 14 MW array set to be deployed in 2018.”

The successful deployment comes as OpenHydro announced plans for a purpose-built turbine facility in Cherbourg to act as the industrial hub for the delivery of the Normandie Hydro project.

Discussions are ongoing between DCNS/OpenHydro, the Ports of Normandy Authority and the French government agency, SHEMA, to finalise plans for the facility.