France’s RTE Issues Export Cable Repair Contract Notice

French transmission system operator RTE Réseau de Transport d’Electricité is in need of services covering offshore export cable repairs.

The scope of the contract covers offshore cable repair preparedness, engineering and operations, including the provision of vessels, personnel and equipment/tools for offshore wind farm export cables.

The contract covers future fixed-bottom and floating wind farms in the English Channel, the Atlantic, and the Mediterranean Sea.

The tender remains open until 3 March and RTE plans to send out invitations to tender to selected parties on 3 May.

The contract will start in February 2022 and run until February 2026, with options for two one-year renewals.

France plans to have up to around 12.4 GW of fixed-bottom and floating offshore wind capacity either in operation or under development by the end of 2028.

The country already has seven offshore wind projects in the pipeline, including the 600 MW Dunkirk project for which the developer was selected in 2019, and the six projects approved earlier with a combined capacity of around 3 GW.

This includes the Saint-Naizaire offshore wind farm for which export cable installation work started in Summer 2020.

France also has four demonstration floating wind projects under development.

The country is in the process of putting 8.75 GW of offshore wind capacity, both fixed-bottom and floating, out to tender by 2028.