Iberdrola continues to make progress in the development of Saint Brieuc, its first large-scale offshore wind project in Brittany.
With €2.4 billion of investment and 496 megawatts (MW) of installed capacity – it has awarded a major contract for the construction of the offshore substation.
A joint venture, founded by Eiffage Métal and Engie Solutions, will be responsible for the manufacture of all the structural elements of the substation, except electrical equipment.
Eiffage Métal will be in charge of the engineering and construction of the foundation and the topside which houses the transformers and electrical equipment. ENGIE Solutions will carry out final assembly and commissioning checks.
The substation is one of the main elements of the wind farm, which is responsible for collecting and storing for export all the electricity generated by 62 wind turbines, estimated at around 1,820 GWh per year.
With this energy output, it would be possible to satisfy the demand of 835,000 people on a sustainable basis and to stop the release of 100,000 tons of CO2 into the atmosphere per year.
The substation consists of a jacket foundation-with a height of 63 meters and a weight of 1,630 tons-and a topside of 55 meters in length, 31 meters in width and 23 meters in height, with a total weight of approximately 3,400 tonnes.
The development works, expected to be completed in early 2022, will be carried out in the yards owned by Eiffage in Belgium and Poland, with final assembly works to be carried out in Belgium at the yards run by Engie Solutions.
Since March 2020, Iberdrola has completed almost all of the supply contracts for Saint-Brieuc, with only the electrical equipment for the substation still to be awarded.
The wind turbines are being manufactured by Siemens Gamesa, Prysmian will take over the underwater cable, Van Ord will transport the foundations-planned for March 2021-and Saipem will install the substation on site.
The commissioning of the wind farm is planned for 2023. This new facility shows Iberdrola’s commitment to the French market, where the company plans to invest up to €4 billion over the next four years.
