On 19 September, Iberdrola inaugurated the 496 MW Saint-Brieuc offshore wind project in France, the second largest in the country and the first in Brittany.
The offshore wind farm is located 16 kilometres off the northwest coast of France in the Bay of Saint-Brieuc in the English Channel.
The project, backed by a EUR 2.4 billion investment, started development in 2012 and became fully operational in 2024 after three years of construction.
The construction work supported more than 1,700 jobs, 500 locally, and involved various companies such as Siemens Gamesa (wind turbines), the Navantia-Windar consortium (foundations and transition pieces), Haizea (towers), Prysmian (cabling), and Van Oord (installation). In total, more than 500 European companies worked on the project, said Iberdrola.
“This project lays the foundations for the offshore wind sector in France and clearly demonstrates the potential that this technology has to boost energy security and the reindustrialisation of Europe, while contributing to climate objectives, in line with the Draghi report”, said Ignacio Galán , executive chairman of Iberdrola.
The first Siemens Gamesa SG 8.0-167 DD wind turbine was set up at the site in May 2023, while the last unit was installed by Fred Olsen Windcarrier’s jack-up Brave Tern at the end of last year.
The 496 MW project produced its first power in July 2023 under the supervision of Iberdrola’s maritime coordination centre based in Kerantour.
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Saint-Brieuc consists of 62 turbines, each with a capacity of 8 MW, the most powerful installed in France to date, according to Iberdrola.
With an annual production of nearly 2,000 GWh, the wind farm will provide enough renewable electricity for approximately one million people.