Iberdrola connects Saint Brieuc offshore wind farm
Iberdrola has connected the Saint Brieuc offshore wind farm to the French power grid.
Image for illustration purposes.
France, Saint Brieuc: Iberdrola has connected the Saint Brieuc offshore wind farm to the French power grid.
Iberdrola has connected the Saint Brieuc offshore wind farm to the French power grid. It is the first major offshore wind project in Brittany and the second in France to produce clean energy. After the test phase, the first wind turbines have started to deliver clean electrical energy. The turbines will be successively connected to the grid to the commissioning of the 62 wind turbines in the park.
The electricity generated is collected in the substation in the centre of the park and later transported via two 225 kV submarine cables to Caroual beach in Erquy. Finally, the electricity is fed into the grid via the Doberie substation in Hénansal.
“It is a great pleasure that the first wind turbines in the park have started producing energy. This is a symbolic step after 12 years of efforts to deliver this gigantic project that contributes to both the UK’s energy sovereignty and the energy transition, a key element in the fight against climate change,” explained Emmanuel Rollin, CEO of Iberdrola France.
With an investment of $2,6 B (2,4 B EUR), the park’s total capacity will be 496 MW, divided among 62 turbines of 8 MW each. At full operation, Saint-Brieuc will have a production of 1,820 GWh per year This can cover the energy needs of 835,000 people (including heating). In total, the plant covers 9 % of Brittany’s annual electricity consumption.
The jackets – platforms that support the offshore wind turbines – and the piles were built and installed by Navantia Windar.
Apart from that, Siemens Gamesa manufactured the turbines. They are each 207 meters high, equipped with the latest technology and their almost 82-meter-long rotor blades offer an 18 % larger sweeping area than the previous model and a 20 % improvement in annual energy production.
Source: WCHS