Iberdrola has revealed that it completed the first phase of construction for its 496 MW Saint-Brieuc wind farm offshore France, with works continuing in January depending on weather conditions.
A total of 65 per cent of the piles and 40 per cent of the jacket foundations that will support wind turbines have now been installed and the company said that it is progressing according to the plan.
The structures were produced at the facilities of Windar in Aviles and Navantia in Fene, respectively.
In total, 124 piles have already been installed, which will anchor the substation and 40 of the 62 Siemens Gamesa 8 MW wind turbines of the wind farm to the seabed.
These cylindrical pieces of steel, each 2.6 metres in diameter and weighing 150 tonnes, are between 18 and 47 metres long.
During the first phase, the installation of 24 of the three-legged jackets has also been completed (about 40 per cent of the total planned).
The foundations are up to 75 metres high, 25 metres wide, and weigh 1,150 tonnes.
During the month of January, the project will continue with the installation of the cabling between wind turbines, depending on weather conditions. Laying the interconnection cable is due to start in the middle of the month.
In total, 90 kilometers of 66 kV high-voltage alternating current interconnection cables will be commissioned.
Drilling and pile installation work will resume in the first quarter when anchoring of the remaining 66 piles will begin.
Therefore, work on the jacket foundations will resume in the second half of the year when the assembly of the wind turbines will begin.
The Saint-Brieuc offshore wind farm is located 16 kilometres off the northwest coast of France in the Bay of Saint-Brieuc in the English Channel.
The project, developed by Iberdrola’s wholly-owned subsidiary Ailes Marines, is the first large-scale offshore wind farm in Brittany to obtain all the necessary government permits for its construction and operation.
Once it becomes operational in 2023, the offshore wind farm is expected to generate enough clean energy for 835,000 people.