Belgium-based DEME Group has formed a partnership with Quadran Energies Marines and Royal Dutch Shell called as Moulins de Flandre to bid for the Dunkirk offshore wind farm in France.
Image: Moulins de Flandre to bid for Dunkirk offshore wind farm. Photo: courtesy of xedos4/Freedigitalphotos.net.
DEME, which is engaged in the design, construction and maintenance of offshore wind farms, was preselected by the French Energy Regulatory Commission (CRE) for the Dunkirk offshore wind farm in 2017.
The proposed Dunkirk offshore wind farm, which could be in the range of 250-750MW capacity, will be built off the coast at Dunkirk.
French DEME subsidiaries managing director Jan Vandenbroeck, Quadran Energies Marines managing director Olivier Guiraud and Shell France energy transition director Stéphane Cicolella, in a joint statement, said: “We are happy to combine our industrial expertise as part of the Moulins de Flandre project to contribute to the comprehensive approach undertaken by the Dunkirk area to support an innovative and exemplary energy transition.
“What’s more, we are convinced that this project is a key opportunity to make Dunkirk into an industrial model of offshore wind energy in France and to create a sustainable economic sector which will be the pride of the local area.”
According to DEME, Moulins de Flandre draws on experience from the 50 existing offshore wind farms which have already been built by the constituent firms across Europe.
Moulins de Flandre brings together the expertise of DEME in large maritime and offshore wind projects, Quadran Energies Marines’ know-how in renewable energy and Shell’s experience across multiple energy applications.
Moulins de Flandre project director Tako Keja said: “Our industrial partnership for Moulins de Flandre allows us to co-construct, with the local area, an application based on realistic, concrete and direct commitments.
“This means that if the application of Moulins de Flandre is selected, the partnership has made a commitment to establish the maintenance hub of the wind farm in Dunkirk.”
Keja added that the Dunkirk offshore wind farm will create nearly 150 local jobs for its whole life cycle, which will be more than 25 years.