DEME’s Innovation Installs First Monopile at 488 MW French Offshore Wind Project

June 7, 2024, by Adnan Memija

DEME’s installation vessel, Innovation, has installed the first monopile foundation at the îles d’Yeu and Noirmoutier offshore wind farm in France.

Credit: A.Jarry Drone; Patrick Sordoillet Source: Les Eoliennes en Mer Services via LinkedIn

Arriving in the Port of La Rochelle on 26 May, the vessel set sail for the project area loaded with two monopile foundations and two transition pieces, which will then be used to attach the mast to the foundation.

After a ten-hour crossing, Innovation arrived at the construction site on 29 May.

Dajin Heavy Industry dispatched the first eleven monopiles in February this year. The units are being manufactured by the Chinese company under a contract signed with the project’s developer, Éoliennes en Mer des Îles d’Yeu et de Noirmoutier (EMYN), a consortium including Ocean Winds (an ENGIE and EDPR joint venture), Sumitomo Corporation, La Banque des Territoires and Vendée Energie.

Each foundation measures seven metres in diameter, and lengths vary from 45 metres to 68 metres, to adapt to the different depths of the wind farm’s sitting area.

The 61 foundations will be installed offshore until early 2025, said Ocean Winds. During the works, DEME will leverage its knowledge from the Saint-Nazaire project, utilising similar equipment, including the 350-tonne offshore foundation drill developer with Herrenknecht.

Additionally, the recently extended MODIGA, now reaching 70 metres in height, shields drilling and installation operations from harsh ocean conditions, optimising operational efficiency in water depths up to 40 metres, said DEME.

DEME has been contracted for the transport and installation of the foundations, wind turbines, and the substation.

Eiffage will deliver all 62 transition pieces, with Sif supplying the primary steel and Smulders manufacturing the secondary steel.

Located off the coast of Vendée, 11.6 kilometres from the island of Yeu and 16.5 kilometres from Noirmoutier, the offshore wind farm will feature 61 Siemens Gamesa 8 MW wind turbines, which the OEM will produce in its Le Havre facility.

The 488 MW Îles d’Yeu and Noirmoutier offshore wind farm is scheduled to be commissioned in 2025. Once in full operation, the wind farm will produce enough electricity to power up to 800,000 households.