The final XL monopile has been installed at the 488 MW Îles d’Yeu and Noirmoutier offshore wind farm in France.
The 61st and final XL monopile has been installed by DEME Group’s Innovation jack-up vessel, marking the successful completion of the drilled foundation installation campaign at the Îles d’Yeu and Noirmoutier offshore wind farm site, said the company in its recent social media post.
DEME deployed its 350-tonne offshore foundation drill, co-developed with Herrenknecht AG, along with the 50-metre-high MODIGA, which stabilises and protects the drilling and installation process from harsh ocean conditions.
China’s Dajin Heavy Industry delivered all the monopiles under a contract signed with the project’s developer, Éoliennes en Mer des Îles d’Yeu et de Noirmoutier (EMYN), a consortium including Ocean Winds, Sumitomo Corporation, La Banque des Territoires and Vendée Energie, in 2022.
DEME was responsible for the installation of the monopiles and the substation.
The first Siemens Gamesa 8 MW wind turbines are already placed on the monopiles, and the wind farm started supplying green electricity to the French grid at the beginning of this month.
The operations and maintenance (O&M) base for the 488 MW Îles d’Yeu and Noirmoutier was opened in June. The facility will support the performance and reliability of the project over the next 25 to 30 years, enabling the delivery of renewable energy to nearly 800,000 people, according to Ocean Winds.
The offshore wind farm is planned to be fully commissioned by the end of 2025.