Hitachi, Chantiers de l’Atlantique to Seal French Offshore Substation Contract

April 29, 2024, by Adnan Memija

French transmission system operator Réseau de Transport d’Electricité (RTE) and the Hitachi Energy – Chantiers de l’Atlantique consortium will sign a contract for the construction of the first offshore substations and DC converter stations for two offshore wind farms that will be built off Ile d’Oléron (AO7) and Normandy (AO8).

The 1 GW Ile d’Oléron wind farm is located off the island of Oléron, more than 35 kilometres from the coast, beyond the limits of the Marine Nature Park of the Gironde estuary and the sea of Pertuis.

The 1.5 GW Centre Manche 2 (AO8) wind farm covers 260 square kilometres located 40-50 kilometres east of the Manche department.

In March 2023, France selected candidates to participate in the competitive dialogues for the two offshore wind farm projects located off the Ile d’Oléron and Normandy.

The winners of the AO7 and AO8 tenders are scheduled to be announced this year, and the two wind farms are expected to be commissioned in 2032.

The signing of the contract for the substations and DC converter stations will take place in Saint-Nazaire on Thursday, 2 May, in the presence of Bruno Le Maire, French Minister of the Economy, Finance and Recovery, Roland Lescure, Minister Delegate for Industry and Energy, Xavier Piechaczyk, chairman of the Executive Board of RTE, Laurent Castaing, managing director of Chantiers de l’Atlantique, and Niklas Persson, managing director of Hitachi Energy’s Grid Integration business.

Departure of Îles d’Yeu and Noirmoutier Offshore Substation

The French Ministers, Bruno Le Maire and Roland Lescure, will also participate in the departure ceremony from Saint-Nazaire of the offshore substation destined for the 496 MW Iles D’Yeu et Noirmoutier offshore wind project.

Located off the coast of Vendée, 11.6 kilometres from the island of Yeu and 16.5 kilometres from Noirmoutier, the offshore wind farm will feature 61 Siemens Gamesa 8 MW wind turbines.

Chantiers de l’Atlantique is responsible for the design, manufacture, and commission of the offshore substation topsides for the wind project.

The substation will be transported and installed by DEME.

The 496 MW Îles d’Yeu and Noirmoutier offshore wind farm is scheduled to be commissioned in 2025. Once in full operation, the wind farm will produce enough electricity to power up to 800,000 households.