The first monopile at Ocean Winds’ 496MW îles d’Yeu and Noirmoutier offshore wind farm in France has been installed by DEME vessel Innovation.
Stored at the Port of La Rochelle, the structures will be transported by the ship to the offshore construction site.
Ocean Winds, a 50-50 joint venture from EDP Renewables and ENGIE, said the vessel arrived in the port on May 26 and then set sail for the project area loaded with two monopiles and two transition pieces.
After a 10-hour crossing, Innovation arrived at the construction site on 29 May. Laying of the first foundation then began, following a series of carefully planned steps to ensure safe and efficient installation of the equipment.
Work on the site’s 61 foundations will continue until early 2025.
Each foundation measures seven metres in diameter, and lengths vary from 45 metres to 68 metres, to adapt to the different depths of the wind farm’s siting area.
To guarantee the safety of ongoing operations, two surveillance vessels will be on hand to ensure compliance with navigation rules – the Alma Kappa from Alka Marine, a French specialist in marine renewable energy services based in Saint-Nazaire, and the TSM Texel from Thomas Services Maritimes, a major maritime player in the energy transition based in Brest.