All three floating wind turbines for the 30 MW EolMed project have been deployed from Port-La Nouvelle, France, marking the beginning of the final phase before commissioning, which is scheduled for later this year .
After nearly three years of work on the industrial quay of Port-La Nouvelle, the EolMed project entered its final phase with the launch of maritime operations since the end of August.
The launching of floaters started on 3 September and ended on 15 September. The integration of wind turbines on the foundations will begin on 25 September.
Offshore installation has commenced, with the installation of anchors and anchor lines for the floats.
Qair said that 80 per cent of construction costs were entrusted to French companies.
“ Entrusting 80% of the construction costs to French companies demonstrates our commitment to combining industrial performance and energy sovereignty. We thank the French government, through the PIA-ADEME, as well as all of our partners, for their trust and support. Eolmed is paving the way for a new era of commercial projects and sustainable jobs on our coasts, and we are more committed than ever to successfully completing this final stage before commissioning by the end of the year, ” said Laurent Vergnet , CEO of EolMed.
French companies Matter and Ponticelli Brothers created the company in 2021, MP Archimedes (MPA), dedicated to the manufacture, assembly, and marketing of structures for floating offshore wind.
MPA made the strategic choice to rely on a selection of European subcontractors to complete the 30 MW EolMed floating wind project , such as Brodosplit (Croatia) and Fincantieri (Italy) for the manufacturing of the metal structure, Navacel (Spain) for the transition pieces, and Petrol Lavori (Italy) for the paint finishes.
Developed by Qair, TotalEnergies, and floating technology supplier BW Ideol, the EolMed project will comprise three Vestas V164-10.0 MW wind turbines .
The units are mounted on BW Ideol’s Damping Pool floating foundations and will be installed 15 kilometres off Gruissan, in water depths of around 60 metres.