Nexans has been awarded a contract by transmission system operator RTE France to supply and install export cables for the 496MW Saint Brieuc offshore wind farm off the French coast.
The €115m deal covers 67km of offshore and 93km of onshore wires for the project, which will be located in the English Channel, some 16km off the coast of Saint Brieuc Bay.
Offshore, Nexans will supply two lengths of 33.5km 225kV three-core cable with a hybrid armouring solution.
The cable will also feature a fibre optic element for remote health monitoring and transmission of information between the offshore wind farm and land base.
Installation will start in Spring 2021 and be carried out by Nexans cable-laying vessel CS Skagerrak.
The specialised Capjet system will be used to trench the cables into the seabed, Nexans said.
The contract also includes inspection, maintenance and repair services for the offshore part of the link.
Onshore wires will be 225kV single-core cable.
Nexans Norway facility in Halden will manufacture the subsea cables, while the onshore wires will be supplied by the company’s plant in Charleroi, Belgium.
The fibre optic elements will be supplied by Nexans Norway plant in Rognan.
Nexans business development director for offshore wind in Europe Laurent Guillaumin said: “We are delighted to be working with RTE to provide the grid connection for one of France’s most significant offshore wind projects.
“The key to this success was our long track record in this sector combined with our ability to offer innovative cable solutions.”
RTE marine activities director Jean Michel Prost said: “This project will be the first offshore connection developed by Nexans for RTE.
“As such, RTE expects this project to be successful as well as to mark the beginning of a fruitful relationship.”
Saint Brieuc is being developed by the Iberdrola-led Ailes Marines consortium, which also includes RES and La Caisse des Depots et Consignations.