EDF has started construction of the operations and maintenance base for the 500MW Fecamp offshore wind farm off the coast of France.
The building, located at Fecamp in Normandy, will be used by the wind farm construction teams in 2022 and will then house the O&M crews from 2023, EDF said.
Construction is being carried out by Eiffage and will be completed in less than 14 months.
The area comprises 2000 square metres, including 1200 metres squared of offices and 800 metres squared of warehousing.
The base is located on the Coastal Fishing Quay side on the Grand Quai peninsula in Fecamp.
The pontoon installation work will be carried out by the ETPO agency in Le Havre, with pontoons manufactured by Manche Industrie Marine in Dieppe.
Up to three ships will be moored at the base pontoons to transport maintenance technicians to offshore turbines, EDF said.
The base will employ around 100 people during the operations phase.
EDF said the maintenance base also marks a partnership with maritime outfit Societe Nationale de Sauvetage en Mer (SNSM), with the building designed to accommodate SNSM premises and its vessels on the new pontoons.
Fecamp offshore wind farm director Bertrand Allanic said: “The maintenance base for the Fecamp offshore wind farm is the result of long-standing collaborative work with the municipality, local residents, port stakeholders and port users.
“About 100 people will work there to carry out operations and maintenance of the park.
“It is therefore a great pleasure to build, here in Fecamp, one of the first maintenance bases for offshore wind power in France, which we will be delighted to inaugurate with the Fécampois within 14 months.”
EDF is building the wind farm in collaboration with Enbridge and WPD Offshore.
Fecamp is expected online in 2023.