A consortium of marine contractor DEME Offshore and fabricator Eiffage Metal has secured the full foundations supply and installation contract worth €500m at EDF Renewables’ 480MW Saint-Nazaire wind farm off the west coast of France.
The French manufacturing outfit will fabricate 80 foundations starting in spring 2020, with the Belgian company on installation duties in spring 2021.
The emergence of the consortium as the preferred bidder for the deal was first reported in subscriber-only reNEWS in May 2018.
Design activity for the units, which will be located in waters between 12 and 25 metres deep, has already kicked off.
“We are honoured to be awarded the first major EPCI foundation contract in France and to contribute to the country’s ambitious energy transition targets,” said Jan Vandenbroeck, DEME Offshore France general manager.
“The contract highlights our technical expertise in providing innovative solutions for the offshore wind industry. The Saint-Nazaire project will deliver drilled monopiles, a new step forward in the offshore wind industry.”
Eiffage Metal general manager Antoine Bresolin added: “Already involved on this market in North Europe, where Eiffage Métal, through its subsidiary Smulders, has gathered lots of references for offshore wind farms in Belgium, Germany, United Kingdom and the Netherlands, our Group will now develop its know-how in French waters.
“We look forward to working with EDF Renewables and Enbridge to complete this project safely and by integrating its environmental features.”
The wind farm, which is being developed in the EMF consortium alongside Enbridge, is expected to feature GE Haliade 6MW turbines. Commissioning is expected in 2022.