DEME wins 'challenging' French offshore wind project contract

DEME Offshore has been awarded two transport and installation contracts for foundations and a substation at the 496MW Yeu and Noirmoutier islands project that is led by the EDPR and Engie’s Ocean Wind joint venture.

Just like at Saint Nazaire, the You and Noirmoutier project site is located in a very rocky area with challenging ocean conditions. The installation of monopile foundation therefore will require a state-of-the-art 350-tonne drill developed together with Herrenknecht and the so-called Modiga, DEME said. The 60-metre-high Modiga encapsulates the drilling and installation operations, protecting them from harsh marine conditions.

“Saint-Nazaire was an extraordinary project and a challenging one. Many thought it was impossible to drill an entire wind farm into rock, but our expert project team successfully accomplished the project ahead of schedule,” said Yves Chiffoleau, business unit director South Europe at DEME.

“We will again deploy our cutting-edge technology and the innovative methodologies developed by our fantastic engineers at Yeu and Noirmoutier.”

The company will carry out the foundation installation with its installation vessel 'Innovation', while the ‘Pioneering Spirit’ will be used to install the substation jacket and topside.

Installation of foundations and substation are scheduled for the first half of next year.

“The Yeu and Noirmoutier offshore wind farm will produce clean energy as from 2025 for almost 800,000 people - more than the current population of the Vendée department ​ - helping to diversify the energy mix and to continue the quest for carbon neutrality,” said Paolo Cairo, president of the project company for Yeu and Noirmoutier.