DEME installs first offshore substation at 480 MW wind farm in France

DEME has completed the installation of the first offshore substation (OSS) in France. Weighing 2,100 tons, the OSS was successfully installed at the Saint-Nazaire offshore wind farm.

The 480 MW Saint-Nazaire offshore wind project is being developed by EDF Renouvelables and EIH S.à r.l, an indirect subsidiary of Enbridge Inc., and CPP Investments. Saint-Nazaire, scheduled to be operational in 2022, is the first commercial offshore wind farm installed in French waters. The contract for the substation was awarded in 2019. Installed with the ‘Pioneering Spirit’, the 480 MW substation is (H) 15 m x 27 m x 39 m, while the jacket is 26 m x 26 m x 48 m (H) and weighs 1,250 tons.

The ACS division of GE Grid Solutions, located in Saint-Priest, France, designed and integrated the high and medium voltage systems. Those include five 220 kV gas-insulated switchgear from Aix Les Bains, France, two 220/33kV transformers manufactured in Monchengladbach, Germany, two SCADA systems developed in Montpellier, France, and one 33kV gas-insulated switchgear and a telecommunication system.

DEME Offshore carried out the transport and installation of the OSS, including the offshore pre-piling works. Chantiers de l’Atlantique is responsible for the topside and jacket foundation design, manufacturing, and commissioning. GE Grid Solutions is responsible for the high voltage electrical equipment and protection control systems design, manufacturing, and commissioning.