Saint-Brieuc wind farm’s initial phase of construction is finished by Iberdrola

The first phase of construction for Iberdrola’s 500MW Saint-Brieuc offshore wind farm in France is now complete. In the first phase, the business installed 65 per cent of the facility’s piles and 40% of its offshore wind platforms.

Iberdrola said that Windar in Avilés and Navantia in Fene produced the piles and offshore wind platforms.

A substation and 40 of the 62 wind turbines have been secured to the seabed with a total of 124 piles. The turbines will be mounted onto the three-legged offshore wind platforms, which will support them.

Iberdrola stated in a statement: “Depending on weather conditions, the project will proceed with the installation of cabling between wind turbines during January.”

“Work is slated to start on laying the wind farm’s connecting cable in mid-January 2023. High-voltage alternating current connecting cables rated at 66kV will be put into service over a distance of 90km. In the first quarter, drilling and pile installation activities will resume after the remaining 66 piles have been anchored. Thus, the offshore wind platforms will be reinstalled and wind turbine assembly will start in the second half of the year.”

The Saint-Brieuc wind farm, which is 16 kilometres from the French coast, will be the Iberdrola Group’s first sizable offshore wind farm in France.

The wind farm is being constructed with an approximately €2.5 billion ($2.64 billion) investment and is scheduled to start operating later this year.

When fully functional, it will be able to supply 835,000 people’s energy demands. By 2025, Iberdrola intends to invest €4 billion in France, the majority of which would go toward financing renewable energy projects.

The company presently manages a “large” project portfolio in the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, Sweden, Ireland, Poland, Taiwan, and the Philippines.