Van Oord starts jacket foundation installation at 496-MW Saint-Brieuc

Dutch marine contractor Van Oord has launched work on the 496-MW Saint-Brieuc offshore wind farm in French waters with the installation of the first jacket foundations for the wind turbines.

The company's offshore installation vessel Aeolus, which underwent an upgrade in preparation for the project, has started work on the jacket foundations, which will be 62 in total with three-pin piles each. Van Oord is also responsible for the installation of the four foundation pin piles for the offshore substation.

The 190 pin piles will be installed this year and in 2022, when the jackets will follow. Van Oord has chosen the port of Cherbourg for the marshalling of the pin piles, which will be delivered from Spain.

Located off the coast of Brittany, the Saint-Brieuc wind farm will feature 62 units of Siemens Gamesa 8-MW turbines erected over a 75-square-kilometre (29 sq miles) area. The project is being run by Spanish energy group Iberdrola SA (BME:IBE) through its 100%-owned vehicle Ailes Marines.

Once Saint-Brieuc becomes operational, which is expected at the end of 2023, the wind farm will be capable of generating 1,820 GWh per year, or enough to meet the power and heating needs of some 835,000 people.

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