New Stages in the Construction of the Offshore Wind Farm

Off Saint Nazaire and on the quays at the port facility’s dock basins, logistics operations are going full swing for the construction of the Banc de Guérande wind farm.

Since our last update back in June, 39 foundations of the 80 planned have now been installed by pile driving and/or drilling.

On 15th August, having transited via the Joubert sluice dock early in July, the jacket, which forms the foundation of the electrical substation and was manufactured in Italy, was conveyed and installed on site by the vessel Pioneering Spirit. This vessel measuring 382 metres in length and 123 metres in breadth, is the largest vessel in the world that is capable of lifting 48 000 tonnes. Three days after the jacket, the vessel installed the topside, comprising the substation, which was manufactured by Atlantique Offshore Energy, the Chantiers de l'Atlantique Shipyard’s marine energy division.

The purpose of the substation is to recover the electricity produced by the wind farm’s 80 wind turbines, to step up the voltage from 33 000 to 225 000 volts, and to transmit the electricity via two cables. The cables had already been installed in the spring of this year between the Banc de Guérande wind farm and Plage de la Courance beach, then onward as far as the onshore delivery station at Prinquiau. RTE is tasked with connecting the facility to the national electricity grid.

The Olympic Triton, a Norwegian offshore support vessel, has commenced work on installing the inter-turbine cables. The wind turbines are spaced one kilometre apart. Covering a total surface area of 78 km² and with a projected total rated capacity of 480 megawatts (MW), the wind farm will produce enough electricity to cover 20 % of the consumption of the Department of Loire Atlantique by the end of 2022.

Contact at Nantes Saint-Nazaire Port – Ludovic Bocquier