Hitachi Energy consortium signs contract
This contract, with a total amount of €4.5 billion, marks an acceleration in the development of offshore farms.
Image source: Hitachi Energy
Switzerland, Zürich: RTE and the Chantiers de l’Atlantique – Hitachi Energy consortium have reached an agreement for the construction of the first offshore direct current platforms and onshore converter stations for the Normandy (Centre Manche 1 & 2) and Oléron Island offshore wind farms. This contract, with a total amount of €4.5 billion and of an unprecedented scale for RTE, marks an acceleration in the development of offshore farms and positions France among the few European nations building large offshore high voltage direct current converter stations.
These platforms, with a higher power (1250 MW) and a larger size than the alternating current ones underscore the scale up needed in the production of offshore renewable electricity. The systems by Chantiers de l’Atlantique and Hitachi Energy will enable the integration of more than 3.5 GW of renewable energy into the RTE network.
Following an international call for bids, RTE, the project owner of the connection of offshore wind farms, has selected the Chantiers de l’Atlantique and Hitachi Energy consortium to carry out the execution of offshore and onshore conversion stations for the future offshore wind farms in Normandy and Oléron.
For the construction of the three offshore platforms to be built in Saint-Nazaire, Chantiers de l’Atlantique will double its production capacity for electrical platforms and invest nearly €100 million in this expansion. It will also acquire Europe’s largest paint cell, with a total area of 4600 m2, and capitalize on its state-of-the-art industrial facilities.
Source: Hitachi Energy