GE Renewable Energy has produced the first turbine nacelle for the 480MW Saint-Nazaire offshore wind project, off France’s Atlantic coast.
The nacelle, which contains the generator, is the first in a series of Haliade 150-6MW wind turbines, being produced for the wind farm, which are being assembled by GE Renewable Energy at its factory in Montoir-de-Bretagne.
This wind farm, already under construction, will be composed of 80 wind turbines spaced one kilometre apart and located 12 km to 20 km off the coast.
Saint-Nazaire is due online in 2022
The Saint-Nazaire offshore wind farm is contributing to the region’s economic activity, generating a total of over 1000 local jobs during the construction phase.
Over 500 GE Renewable Energy employees are employed in the Montoir-de-Bretagne nacelle assembly plant as well as at GE’s Nantes office (engineering, sourcing, quality, services), which employs over 200.
GE Renewable Energy said 200 new jobs will be added to this workforce when the Saint-Nazaire factory is “fully loaded”.
Earth works are being finalised in preparation for the storage and assembly of the wind turbine components in the port of Saint-Nazaire. The wind turbines will be stocked there starting in 2021.
Installation at sea will begin in 2021 with anchoring of the foundations and burying the array cables.
The electric substation will be installed in the sea during the summer.
In spring 2022, the first wind turbines could be installed offshore and progressively commissioned.
This start-up process will last until year-end.
The next 25-year operations and maintenance phase will then begin and will entail 100 jobs in relation to the operations and maintenance base located at the port of La Turballe, GE said.
GE Renewable Energy president and chief executive Jerome Pecresse said: “I am proud to celebrate today, along with local authorities, our partners EDF Renewables and Enbridge, and our employees, a new stage in the construction of the first French offshore wind farm in Saint-Nazaire.
“At GE Renewable Energy, we are excited to be engaging our skills and know-how in this historic project.
“By producing these 80 Haliade 150-6MW wind turbines, we enhance our contribution to consolidating the French wind farm industry, a competitive, exportable industry with long-term prospects, and that generates employment.”