DEME installs first offshore substation in France
France, Saint-Nazaire: In another pioneering step in the offshore wind industry, DEME installed the first offshore substation (OSS) in France.
Image source: DEME
France, Saint-Nazaire: In another pioneering step in the offshore wind industry, DEME installed the first offshore substation (OSS) in France.
Weighing 2,100 T, the OSS was successfully installed at the Saint-Nazaire offshore wind farm on 18 August.
The electrical substation was constructed by a consortium including Atlantique Offshore Energy, the business unit of Chantiers de l’Atlantique dedicated to renewable marine energies, GE Grid Solutions and DEME Group’s French subsidiary SDI. The 480 MW Saint-Nazaire offshore wind project is being developed by EDF Renouvelables and EIH S.à r.l, an indirect subsidiary of Enbridge Inc., and CPP Investments. Saint-Nazaire, scheduled to be operational in 2022, is the first commercial offshore wind farm installed in French waters. The contract for the substation was awarded in 2019.
The ACS division of GE Grid Solutions, located in Saint-Priest, France, designed and integrated the high and medium voltage systems. Those include five 220 kV gas insulated switchgears from Aix Les Bains, France, two 220/33 kV transformers manufactured in Monchengladbach, Germany, two SCADA systems developed in Montpellier, France and one 33 kV gas insulated switchgears and a telecommunication system.
Bart De Poorter, General Manager DEME Offshore Renewables, commented: “The construction and installation of the OSS is the result of strong cooperation between the consortium members, with each partner bringing its expertise and highest level of execution to the project, enabling us to meet the stringent quality, safety and environmental standards. As a result of this cooperation, we were able to design, fabricate and install the OSS in only 26 months, which is an incredible achievement and testament to the collaboration with our partners. At DEME, we are certainly very proud that our expertise has played such a significant role in reaching this key milestone in the renewables industry, with Saint-Nazaire due to be the first commercial offshore wind farm in France.”
Read more on this topic in our news of 16 August.
Source: DEME