Eiffage, through Eiffage Métal and its Belgian subsidiary Smulders, has secured the contract from Éoliennes en Mer Îles d’Yeu et de Noirmoutier, to manufacture the 62 transition pieces for the 496MW offshore wind farm near the Yeu and Noirmoutier islands.
Each transition piece will measure 29.5 metres in height and 6 metres in diameter.
Including the secondary steel structures, they will each weigh over 360 tonnes.
The secondary steel elements will be manufactured at the Smulders factory in Poland before being transported to Belgium, where the transition pieces will be assembled at its Hoboken site.
Production will begin in spring 2023 for a staged release from the factory between early and mid-2024.
The Yeu and Noirmoutier islands offshore wind farm produce an average 1,900GWh yearly to supply almost 800,000 people with sustainable electricity, more than the current population of the Vendée department.
It is being developed by a consortium that includes Ocean Winds (an ENGIE and EDP Renováveis joint venture), Sumitomo Corporation, La Banque des Territoires and Vendée Energie.
Commissioning is scheduled for 2025.