Saint-Brieuc Turbine Switch Comes with No Extra Baggage

Ailes Marines, the developer of the 496MW Bay of Saint-Brieuc offshore wind farm in France, does not need to carry out a new environmental assessment study for the project following the recently approved switch from the Adwen 8MW to the Siemens Gamesa 8MW turbine.

As reported earlier, French Minister for the Ecological and Inclusive Transition Nicolas Hulot approved the change of the turbine model to be used on the wind farm mid-December.

Following the approval, Ailes Marines asked the Prefect of Côtes-d’Armor to ratify the modification of the administrative authorisations delivered in April 2017. This followed on
from Ailes Marines submitting a consent application to the statutory bodies in November last year.

The Prefect of Côtes-d’Armor approved the amending decree which validated the change of the turbine model on 20 December, Ailes Marines said.

A new environmental assessment study is not needed due to the decision taken by the National Environmental Authority in December, which stated that the change of the turbine model will lead to a reduction of the project’s environmental impact, the developer said, adding that the switch to the new turbine will not impact the project’s timeline.

The Bay of Saint-Brieuc offshore wind farm will comprise 62 wind turbines mounted on jacket foundations, one offshore substation, as well the associated cables. Offshore construction is scheduled to start in 2018 and the wind farm is expected to go online in 2020.

The wind farm will be operated from an O&M base in the port of Saint-Quay-Portrieux.

Ailes Marines is a joint venture between Iberdrola, RES and Caisse des Dépôts.