Its dimensions are impressive to say the least since it is 209 meters high at the tip of the blade and has a rotor 167 meters in diameter. In the bay of Saint-Brieuc (Côtes-d’Armor), the first of the 62 wind turbines of the future offshore park has just been installed Thursday by Ailes Marines, a subsidiary of the Spanish giant Iberdrola which had won the call for tenders in 2012. “This installation means that we are entering the home stretch of the project, which will lead to the production of renewable and carbon-free energy for the Bretons”, welcomed Emmanuel Rollin, general manager of Iberdrola France, in a press release.
Very complex, the operation was carried out in several stages from a self-elevating vessel. “At sea, the 90-meter-high wind turbine mast is first lifted from the barge and then lowered by crane onto the transition piece of the “jacket” foundation, before being fixed there, explains Ailes. Marines. In a second step, the nacelle is lifted and installed on the mast. Finally, the three blades are fixed on the rotor of the nacelle. »
Commissioning scheduled for December
Manufactured in the port of Le Havre on the Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy site, the 61 other wind turbines that will make up the park will be gradually installed over the coming months.
With an installed capacity of 496 MegaWatts, the Saint-Brieuc offshore wind farm is due to enter full service in December. On that date, it will be able to produce the equivalent of the annual electricity consumption of 835,000 inhabitants.