Ocean Winds is celebrating the installation of the first wind turbine at the 496MW Îles d’Yeu et de Noirmoutier (EMYN) offshore wind farm.
In total, 61 Siemens Gamesa turbines will be installed at the French offshore wind project between May and September this year.
Each turbine will have a capacity of 8MW, with blades and nacelles manufactured in Le Havre, France.
Located off the coast of the islands of Yeu and Noirmoutier in France, the fixed-bottom offshore wind farm will deliver clean, renewable electricity equivalent to the annual consumption of nearly 800,000 people.
Ocean Winds’ country manager for France Marc Hirt said: “The installation of EMYN’s first turbine is a powerful demonstration of Ocean Winds’ commitment to France’s energy transition and our contribution to offshore wind development in the country and in the region.
“A remarkable feature of EMYN is its strong European and French industrial footprint for the construction phase: 95% of the project’s Tier 1 suppliers are European, with over 50% sourced in France.
“It is a proud moment for our teams and partners who have worked with determination and precision to reach this key moment.”
After pre-assembly of the turbine towers at the Port of Saint-Nazaire, installation at sea has been carried out by Jan de Nul.
The first turbine (pictured) was installed following an offshore operation, mobilising teams from the EMYN project, its contractors, and partners.
EMYN project director Frédéric Flaus said: “We are proud to have successfully installed the first wind turbine on the EMYN project, a symbol of the excellent collaboration between all contractors and the EMYN project team.
“With this milestone, we have entered the final months of construction before commissioning at the end of the year.”
Peter De Pooter, manager of offshore energy structures at Jan De Nul, said: “We are proud to support the installation of 61 turbines for EMYN, carried out by the highly skilled crew of our vessel Vole au Vent.
“This project represents another meaningful step toward accelerating the shift to renewable energy, and it strengthens our track record in delivering offshore wind projects in France and across Europe.”
During EMYN’s entire construction phase, more than 1500 direct and indirect jobs have been mobilised, including around 1000 at the Siemens Gamesa factories in Le Havre to produce nacelles and blades.
Once operational, the project will generate 85 long-term direct jobs, with around 60 positions based on the island of Yeu for operations and maintenance activities.
France is a strategic market for Ocean Winds, with four offshore wind farms, including EMYN, currently in construction or development, representing a total capacity of 1.3GW.