Spanish electric utility Iberdrola has announced the completion of the first phase of construction of the 496MW Saint-Brieuc offshore wind farm in France.
The Saint-Brieuc offshore wind farm is being built about 16km off the coast of Brittany, covering around 75km2 of surface area.
The company stated that it has completed the installation of 65% of the piles and 40% of the offshore wind platforms, which have been manufactured at the facilities of Windar in Avilés and Navantia’s in Fene, respectively.
With the completion of phase 1 construction, Iberdrola has installed a total of 124 piles, which are expected to anchor the substation and 40 of the 62 wind turbines of the Saint-Brieuc offshore wind farm to the seabed.
Besides, Iberdrola has finished the installation of 24 offshore wind platforms, each measuring up to 75m in height and 25m in width.
Depending on weather conditions, the project is expected to continue in January 2023 with the installation of cabling between wind turbines, said the Spanish energy company.
Work for laying the interconnection cable for the French offshore wind farm is anticipated to commence in mid-January 2023. High-voltage alternating current interconnection cables of 66kV capacity with a total length of 90km are expected to be put into service.
The remaining construction activities, including drilling and pile installation work, are expected to resume in Q1 2023, parallel to the anchoring of the remaining 66 piles.
It is anticipated to put the offshore wind platforms into place and start the assembly of the wind turbines in the second half of 2023.
The Saint-Brieuc offshore wind farm, which involves an overall investment of about €2.5bn, is expected to go online this year.
Once operational, the offshore wind facility will generate adequate clean energy to meet the electricity needs of 835,000 people, said Iberdrola.
