EDF Renewables, Enbridge Inc. and wpd have launched the Fécamp offshore wind farm following the finalization of financing agreements between the consortium and its financial partners.
Royal Boskalis Westminster N.V., in consortium with Bouygues Travaux Publics and Saipem, has been awarded the design work, construction and installation scope for 71 concrete gravity-based structures (GBS) as the foundation for the wind farm, which will be located off the shore of Normandy, France. The award was made by Eoliennes Offshore des Hautes Falaises (EOHF). The contract carries a total value of €552 million, and the contract value split being 40.5% (Bouygues Travaux Publics), 40.5% (Saipem) and 19% (Boskalis).
The foundations will be constructed in the Bougainville maritime works yard in the Grand Port Maritime of Le Havre and will be transported by barge to the offshore wind farm site. The works should be completed by the end of 2022. The commissioning and operational start-up of the wind farm are planned for 2023.
The 500 MW Fécamp offshore wind farm will comprise 71 wind turbines located between 13 km and 22 km from the coast of northwest France. The construction of the project will create over 1,400 local jobs. During its 25-year service life, approximately 100 local ongoing full-time jobs based at the port of Fécamp will also be created to maintain the wind farm.
The total project capital cost is estimated to be €2 billion, of which the majority will be financed through non-recourse project-level debt. The wind farm is underpinned by a 20-year power purchase agreement.
Siemens Gamesa (SGRE) has received the firm order for the supply of wind turbines and a 15-year maintenance contract from EDF Renewables, Enbridge and wpd. The project will be equipped with SWT-7.0-154 offshore wind turbines, each with a capacity of 7 MW. These turbines will be manufactured at the wind turbine plant Siemens Gamesa is to build in Le Havre, France.
SGRE’s new plant in Le Havre, at which construction is set to begin this summer, will create 750 jobs. The manufacturing of the gravitational foundations for the wind turbines will commence this summer at the Grand Port Maritime site, providing work for around 600 people. The wind turbines will be assembled at the Port of Cherbourg.
This project has been guided by extensive consultation carried out over 10 years with local stakeholders (state services, elected officials from the region, coastal municipalities and non-government organizations) and is supported by in-depth environmental studies undertaken with local environmental associations. Specific work was also carried out in close collaboration with the fishing industry to ensure the coexistence of various maritime activities on the site.
To carry out this project, EOHF has selected internationally recognized companies in the fields of civil engineering and construction, dredging, offshore installation and maritime works. With this unique combination of expertise, the consortium partners are confident to successfully deliver and contribute to the energy mix diversification program in France.
Photo: Siemens Gamesa selected a consortium – led by GTM Normandie-Centre – for the construction of its offshore wind turbine plant in Le Havre
