The electrical transmission system operator RTE France has ordered nine 400-megavolt ampere booster transformers that will help regulate the voltage of energy transmitted from four offshore wind projects, each having 500MW capacity range.
ABB expects to deliver the transformers from 2017 to 2020. The projects are being constructed at several locations along the Atlantic coast of France.
The wind farms are part of the French government’s plan to deploy 6GW of offshore generation capacity by 2020.
ABB said the energy by the wind farms would cover 3.5% of the national energy consumption. France is planning to source 23% of its power from a mix of renewable energy sources by 2020.
ABB transformers business head Markus Heimbach said: "ABB specialty transformers based on cutting-edge design and engineering technologies help maximize reliability and efficiency in vital grid connections, which are one of the target growth segments of our Next Level strategy.
"We are pleased to support RTE’s efforts to integrate more renewable energy into the French grid, contributing to a more sustainable world."
