496 MW Saint-Brieuc Offshore Wind Farm Fully Commissioned

May 28, 2024, by Adnan Memija

The 496 MW Saint-Brieuc offshore wind farm, developed by Ailes Marines, a subsidiary of Iberdrola, has been fully commissioned, making it the second fully operational offshore wind farm in France and the first in Brittany.

Saint-Brieuc inauguration — *Source: Ailes Marine; Credit: Iberdrola – C.Beyssier*

As of 28 May, all 62 Siemens Gamesa’s SG 8.0-167 DD wind turbines are operational and feeding power into the national electricity grid, managed by France’s Réseau de Transport d’Electricité (RTE).

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 first Siemens Gamesa wind turbine was installed at the site in May 2023, while the last unit was installed by Fred Olsen Windcarrier’s jack-up Brave Tern at the end of last year.

To date, the 8 MW turbines are the most powerful to be installed on an offshore wind farm in France, according to Iberdrola.

The components of the jacket foundation were partly built and assembled on the Brest polder by the Navantia-Windar consortium. The electrical equipment for the masts of the 62 wind turbines was assembled by the company Haizea Breizh, also on the Brest polder. The wind turbines were manufactured in France on the new industrial site of Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy, located in the Le Havre Port.

The development and construction of the wind farm has mobilized more than 1,700 jobs in France, including more than 500 jobs in Brittany, said the developer.

The total investment in the Saint-Brieuc offshore wind farm, which started development in 2012, amounts to EUR 2.4 billion, according to Iberdrola.

“We are particularly proud today to announce the full commissioning of the Saint-Brieuc offshore wind farm, twelve years after being named the winner and three years after the start of installation work,” said Emmanuel Rollin, Director France of Iberdrola.

“I would like to thank all the stakeholders in the region who have supported us over the years, as well as the teams at Iberdrola and our suppliers, who have been involved since 2012 in the realization of this major industrial project, which is supporting the energy transition and employment in France.”

The 496 MW project produced its first power in July under the supervision of Iberdrola’s maritime coordination centre based in Kerantour.

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The electricity generated by the wind turbines is collected by the offshore substation and carried by two 225 kV subsea export cables installed by RTE to Caroual beach in Erquy. Renewable electricity is injected into the grid via the Doberie substation located in Hénansal (Côtes-d’Armor).

The wind farm’s production is approximately 1,820 GWh/year, which represents nine per cent of Britanny’s total electricity consumption, said Iberdrola.