EDF has inaugurated the maintenance base at the port of La Turballe in France for the 480MW Saint-Nazaire offshore wind farm.
The base comprises a building, with a footprint of 1250 metres-squared, including 751 square metres of warehouse, and pontoons intended to accommodate three crew transfer vessels (CTVs).
EDF said that when the first turbines are installed in spring 2022, the eco-responsible building will accommodate a team of around 100 people responsible for the operation and maintenance of the wind farm.
Recruitment has already started for certain jobs and will end during 2022, it said.
EDF said the CTVs are currently being manufactured at the OCEA shipyard in Vendee for the company LD Tide, and will be moored at the quay on pontoons manufactured by the Nantes company ETPO.
EDF Renouvelables Saint-Nazaire project director Olivier de La Laurencie said: “This step, which is also part of the remarkable development dynamic of the port of La Turballe, marks a new step forward for the site towards the commissioning of the park.”
Saint-Nazaire is being developed by a consortium of EDF, Enbridge and Canadian Pension Plan Investment Board.