As part of the call for tenders for offshore wind power in France, the French government has just awarded a contract to the consortium led by Iberdrola and EOLE-RES for the development of the Saint-Brieuc (Côtes-d’Armor) wind farm, which was the most competitive field with three different technologies proposed.
AREVA will build 100 turbines of 5 MW each for this wind farm, which is scheduled to enter into operation between 2017 and 2019, and will generate enough electricity to power a town of around 650,000 inhabitants.
The selection of the AREVA M5000 wind turbine by Iberdrola and RES, two leading energy operators, of which Iberdrola is the leader in renewables, demonstrates their recognition of the experience AREVA has acquired over the past years. In the North Sea, AREVA started up the Alpha Ventus pilot wind farm in 2009 and, by the end of 2013, will have installed more than 120 wind turbines, thereby maintaining its leading position in the high-power turbines market.
AREVA will create two plants at Le Havre, one to manufacture turbines and the other for blades. This industrial base is ideally placed to supply the largest offshore wind power market in the world, the Channel and the North Sea. In total, AREVA’s wind power activities will enable the creation of some 2,000 jobs, through an extensive network of partners and suppliers throughout France, mainly concentrated in Brittany. Furthermore, AREVA’s partners have signed agreements with other French industrial players, including STX in Saint-Nazaire, to build the wind turbine foundations.
Luc Oursel, AREVA CEO, declared: “We are delighted that the quality of our response to the call for tenders has been recognized by the French government and we are very proud to be part of the most coveted field. Renewables are at the heart of AREVA’s strategy, and our experience will allow us to be actively involved in the development of an industry which will create jobs in France and export heavily.”
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Offshore WIND staff, April 06, 2012; Image: areva