Siemens Gamesa will deliver its 8MW offshore wind turbine (D8) for two projects off the French coast: Dieppe-Le Tréport and Yeu-Noirmoutier, totalling almost 1GW, replacing Adwen’s AD8 model. The recently created company – and the owner of Adwen – also plans to do this for Ailes Marines’ Bay of Saint-Brieuc project.
The switch for the projects being developed by Eoliennes en Mer Iles d’Yeu et de Noirmoutier and Eoliennes en Mer Dieppe Le Tréport has been approved by the French Minister for the Ecological and Inclusive Transition after review by the Energy Regulation Commission (CRE), while the change for the Bay of Saint-Brieuc project is still under the approval process after being communicated to the government.
“Siemens Gamesa will deliver the most popular offshore wind platform and will bring its unmatched experience working in offshore projects. I am convinced this will help the industry take-off and I am happy to see that all parties involved, including our customers and the French State, acknowledge the benefits of installing the D8 in these projects” , said Michael Hannibal , Siemens Gamesa CEO for Offshore.
Manufacturing of Adwen AD8 Discontinued
Replacing Adwen’s AD8 model at the three projects in France follows Siemens Gamesa’s decision to focus its sales efforts on one 8MW platform.
As a result, the manufacturing of the AD8 will be discontinued while further developments of the technology will be part of the company’s comprehensive product portfolio review.
Siemens Gamesa added that the switch has no impact on Adwen’s plans to build two factories in Le Havre, one for nacelles and one for blades, and on collaboration for the development of a local supply chain in France. The company expects to create a minimum of 750 new jobs.