EDF Renewables, a subsidiary of the EDF Group; EIH, a subsidiary of Enbridge Inc.; and wpd, a European renewable energy company, have awarded Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy a firm order for the 448 MW Courseulles-sur-Mer offshore wind power project located 10 km off France’s Bessin coast.
The project will utilize the SWT-7.0-154 direct drive offshore wind turbine. Installation and commissioning of the Courseulles-sur-Mer project is scheduled for 2024. The project brings the total capacity awarded to Siemens Gamesa by the consortium in France to approximately 1 GW. Both the wind turbine nacelles and blades for the project are scheduled to be produced at the Siemens Gamesa facility currently under construction in Le Havre.
The Le Havre facility will be the first in the world to manufacture complete offshore nacelles and blades under one roof. It is the largest industrial project in the French renewable energy industry to date and will be used to supply Siemens Gamesa offshore wind projects in France and potentially abroad. Start of operation for the plant is scheduled to take place in the first half of 2022.
“We are delighted to again be the partner of choice for EDF Renewables, Enbridge and wpd, and to deliver our second firm French offshore order to them,” says Marc Becker, CEO of the Siemens Gamesa Offshore Business Unit. “As we unlock more of the future of wind in France, we thank them for their vote of confidence in our technology, people and growth plans in the country. Our facility in Le Havre and the Courseulles-sur-Mer project will provide local jobs and value for years to come.”
RTE, which is responsible for connecting the wind farm from the offshore substation to Normandy’s electrical grid, will commence its onshore work in March. Expected to create approximately 750 direct and indirect jobs when fully operational, particularly in the fields of composite materials, mechanical assembly and logistics, the facility has already begun recruiting employees.
