Wind

Fred Olsen Windcarrier sails into France with Saint-Brieuc turbine installation

Norwegian group gets first big contract off French coast to install Siemens Gamesa turbines at delayed Iberdrola development

A Fred Olsen vessel working offshore.
A Fred Olsen vessel working offshore.Foto: Fred Olsen

Fred Olsen Windcarrier has been picked to install turbines at the Saint Brieuc offshore wind farm that will be among the first operating in French waters.

The Norwegian group will deploy a vessel during spring 2023 at the project site off northwest France for installation of its 62 8MW Siemens Gamesa machines.

The contract – Fred Olsen Windcarrier’s first for large-scale work in French waters – came as Siemens Gamesa said the company is a “reliable and solution-oriented partner” for installation of its turbines.

The OEM has started rolling the turbines for Saint-Brieuc and other projects out of its state-of-the-art production facility in Le Havre.

“The contract will continue to strengthen our relationship with Siemens Gamesa. We also look forward to engaging with local stakeholders and suppliers on the project,” said Petter Faye Søyland, senior project manager for Fred Olsen Windcarrier.

Iberdrola’s Saint Brieuc will one of the first commercial-scale wind farms installed off France after stuttering progress since it was awarded in a government tender a decade ago.

After years of regulatory delays, the project’s progress has since construction began been further hampered by protests by fishing boats and a pollution scare that halted foundation installation last year.
The nation’s other first large-scale project, EDF-Enbridge’s 480MW Saint-Nazaire, is also under construction off the French northwest.

The delays have held back offshore wind development off the French coast while neighbours such as the UK, Netherlands and Belgium pressed on.

However, the French government has since raised its game with new measures designed to make the consenting and construction process simpler.

France's current formal goal for offshore wind is 6.2GW by 2028 under its multi-year energy plan, but newly-reelected President Emmanuel Macron said during campaigning that he would aim to build fifty offshore wind farms by 2050 with a combined capacity of 40GW.
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Published 25 April 2022, 10:23Updated 25 April 2022, 10:23
EuropeFranceFred Olsen WindcarrierIberdrola