EDF Energies Nouvelles has announced the completion of the construction of the Teesside offshore wind farm, built by EDF Energy Renewables, a joint venture between EDF Energy and EDF Energies Nouvelles.
As of yesterday, the first thirteen wind turbines of this 62 MW facility have been put into production. The entire wind farm is due to enter service during summer 2013. This flagship project establishes the EDF Group as a key player in the European offshore wind energy industry.
The Teesside wind farm’s 27 Siemens-manufactured turbineshave been installed off the coast of Redcar in north-east England. The construction work offshore began in February 2012 when monopile foundations were driven into the seabed and will be completed with the progressive connection of all the wind turbines to the electricity grid ahead of the facility’s commissioning planned during summer 2013.
Owned jointly by EDF Energy and EDF Energies Nouvelles and managed by their joint venture EDF Energy Renewables, the Teesside wind farm has been fully managed by the EDF Group, which oversaw the entire development, engineering and construction process.
“The Teesside wind farm demonstrates our engineering expertise in offshore wind projects. By completing this project, we have further established our position as a leading player in the offshore wind energy segment and are confident in our ability to see other projects in the United Kingdom and French markets through to fruition,” stated Antoine Cahuzac, Chief Executive Officer of EDF Energies Nouvelles.
EDF Energies Nouvelles first moved into the offshore wind segment more than ten years ago. Capitalising on its participation in the offshore C-Power project from the very outset, the Group gained experience from the development of a 325 MW wind farm in Belgian waters, of which 215 MW are now in service; the remaining 110 MW tranche is entering the final stage of construction.
With the completion of the Teesside facility, EDF Energies Nouvelles confirms its ambition in offshore wind energy. The Group is set to continue its expansion in Europe by moving on to new projects on an even bigger scale.
In the United Kingdom, the Navitus Bay project with 1,100 MW in potential capacity is being developed in conjunction with Eneco Wind UK Ltd. In France, three wind energy projects representing a total of approximately 1,400 MW in capacity are also being developed via a consortium led by EDF EN, with the public consultations running from March until July 2013.
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Press release, June 20, 2013; Image: mhwpr