Saint-Nazaire Foundation Installation to Begin End of March

The first transition pieces for the Saint-Nazaire offshore wind project in France have arrived at the Port of La Rochelle.

Smulders shipped off the first four transition pieces for the 480 MW project in mid-February from Belgium to Rotterdam, the Netherlands, from where they were transported to France.

DEME’s jack-up vessel Innovation is expected to begin installing the foundations at the offshore site at the end of March.

Additionally, Prysmian began the production of inter-array cables in Gron and Montereau-Fault-Yonne. The first steps which include wire drawing and stranding began in January.

Saint-Nazaire, also known as Parc du Banc de Guérande, will comprise 80 GE Haliade 150-6MW turbines located between 12 and 20 km off the coast of the Guérande peninsula.

Sif is in charge of producing the 80 monopiles and primary steel for the 80 transition pieces under an order placed by Eiffage Métal.

The 480 MW project is scheduled to be operational in the summer of 2022 when it will become the first commercial-scale wind farm installed in French waters.

Photo: Smulders