The first offshore wind farm in France has been running at full speed since Wednesday off Saint-Nazaire, EDF announced, a few hours before the inauguration of this park, whose full commissioning coincides with the expected appointment of the new head of the energy company , Luc Remont.
“EDF Renewables and EIH Sarl (…) have the honor to announce the full commissioning of the Saint-Nazaire offshore wind farm with an installed capacity of 480 MW,” EDF announced in a press release. “Located between 12 and 20 kilometers from the coast, the park’s 80 wind turbines now produce the equivalent of 20% of Loire-Atlantique’s annual electricity consumption,” specifies EDF.
The inauguration in Saint-Nazaire must bring together all the actors: State, communities, companies, professional and environmental associations. The maintenance of the park, which extends over 78 km2 and is remotely monitored from a base located in the port of La Turballe, will be carried out by a hundred people during the 25 years of its operation.
Annual consumption of 700,000 people
Work to connect the park began in 2019, then construction of the marine park took place in 2021 and 2022, first with the installation of the foundations and electrical cables underwater, before placing the wind turbines on site, from spring 2022 until the installation of the last one on September 5.
“Since the production of its first megawatt hours (MWh) at the beginning of June 2022, the Saint-Nazaire offshore wind farm has gradually connected its 80 wind turbines to the national electricity transmission grid”, which supply electricity equivalent to the consumption of 700,000 people a year.
It is “the first industrial-scale offshore wind farm in France,” said Bruno Bensasson, President and CEO of EDF Renewables, who recalled EDF’s goal to “double its net renewable energy capacity in the world to reach 60 GW in 2030”. This EDF announcement comes as the executive must appoint the new executive director of EDF, Luc Rémont, on Wednesday in the Council of Ministers, who will have the difficult task of reactivating nuclear energy, but also solar and wind energy.
Source: BFM TV
