Iberdrola’s wholly-owned subsidiary, Ailes Marines, has announced that its 496 MW Saint-Brieuc offshore wind farm in Brittany’s Bay of Saint-Brieuc has started generating renewable electricity. This wind farm marks Iberdrola’s first project in France. Furthermore, according to the company’s press release, it is only the second offshore wind farm to produce power in the country.
The commencement of electricity production follows the installation of the first of the 62 Siemens Gamesa SG 8.0-167DD wind turbines at the Saint-Brieuc offshore wind farm in May. Iberdrola’s maritime coordination centre in Kerantour oversaw the process.
Emmanuel Rollin, CEO of Iberdrola France, commented on this significant development. He stated: “We take great pride in beginning clean energy production from the project’s first wind turbines. This historic milestone follows a 12-year commitment to delivering this large-scale project. It also supports both Brittany’s energy security and the energy transition, a vital step in the fight against climate change.”
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Construction of Saint-Brieuc Offshore Wind Farm
The offshore substation at the wind farm’s centre collects the generated electricity. From there, two 225 kV subsea export cables, installed by Réseau de Transport d’Electricité (RTE), transport the power to Caroual Beach in Erquy. The electricity is then injected into the grid via the Doberie substation in Hénansal, Côtes-d’Armor.
Iberdrola anticipates the power output will incrementally increase as additional wind turbines are connected to the grid over the coming months. ABL, an Oslo-listed company, has also completed its Owner’s engineering work for RTE. It provided a grid connection for the Saint-Brieuc offshore wind farm. Following a contract signed in 2019, ABL supported transporting and installing two 33-kilometre-long high voltage alternating current (HVAC) cables.
The Saint-Brieuc offshore wind farm is situated 16 kilometres off the northwest coast of France in the English Channel. It is projected to generate about 1,820 GWh/year, covering approximately 9% of Brittany’s total electricity consumption. It will also produce enough electricity to power 835,000 individuals once fully operational later this year.
