Iberdrola-owned Ailes Marines has picked the port of Brest’s new polder as the assembly site for the 62 turbine towers for the Saint-Brieuc offshore wind farm off France.
French company Foure Lagadec and Spanish outfit Haizea Wind have been selected by turbine supplier Siemens Gamesa to put together the tower sections.
The assembly of the 62 structures in Brest is part of the industrial plan designed by Siemens Gamesa to supply Saint-Brieuc and includes a tower manufacturing facility at the port of Le Havre, which is creating 750 jobs.
The industrial programme proposed by the partnering companies includes the creation of new industrial capacity funded with €11.8m from Ailes Marines.
Construction of the new assembly plant is expected to start in early 2022 with commissioning scheduled for later that year.
The industrial plan will see the creation of new production capacity and at least 35 new jobs during the project’s construction period.
The jobs include mechanical assemblers, welders, industrial electricians and logistics experts.
Recruitment should start in mid-2022, while assembling the three sections of all 62 turbines will take approximately eight months.
The 35 new jobs are in addition to the 250 jobs already created by Navantia-Windar and Breton subcontractors for the manufacture of the foundations for Saint-Brieuc.
Foure Lagadec north-west regional director Vincent Poulard said: “Thanks to the expertise of our partner Haizea Wind and the commitment of Siemens Gamesa and Ailes Marines, we hope to deliver a major industrial challenge: to prove the feasibility and competitiveness of an offshore wind turbine tower manufacturing industry in France.
“The potential of the French and European offshore wind markets gives us hope, but we will need to mobilise all private and public players to make this industrial challenge a success.”
Ailes Marines chairman and Iberdrola international offshore director Javier Garcia Perez said: “From the outset of the project in 2012, Ailes Marines’ aim has been to turn Saint-Brieuc offshore wind project into a driver of economic development for northwest France.
“Ailes Marines is delighted with the creation of this new production facility in the port of Brest, which will provide the region with industrial skills and expertise in the marine renewable energy sectors.”
Saint-Brieuc will feature 62 Siemens Gamesa 8.0-167 DD turbines.