ABL Secures Work on French Offshore Grid Connections

October 9, 2024, by Adnan Memija

Energy and marine consultancy company, ABL, has been appointed as marine warranty surveyor (MWS) to support the marine transportation and installation (T&I) operations for the Centre Manche 1 and Centre Manche 2 offshore substations in France.

Centre Manche 1 and Centre Manche 2 are part of two offshore wind projects – Appel d’Offre 4 (AO4) and Appel d’Offre 8 (AO8) – that aim to contribute towards the French government’s ambition of allocating 1 GW of offshore wind energy per year, from 2023 onwards.

Centre Manche 1 will connect the AO4 (1,050 MW) offshore wind farm and part of the AO8 (200 MW) to the 400 kV substation at Menuel through a 100-kilometre-long DC export cable.

Centre Manche 2 will connect the AO8 offshore wind farm to the 400 kV substation at Tourbe via a 105-kilometre-long DC cable. Both offshore substations will each have a capacity of 1.25 GW.

ABL’s operations in France will act as MWS for the transportation and installation campaign for the Centre Manche 1 and 2 offshore substations, the 100-kilometre-long DC export cable, and three 2-kilometre-long interstation links.

The company will handle the technical review and approval of all T&I engineering documents, participate in safety risk meetings (HAZID/HAZOP), assess the suitability of installation vessels, oversee onshore and offshore operations, and provide approval certificates.

Work is planned to begin in the third quarter of 2024 and is expected to continue until project delivery in 2032.

The platforms will be sister topsides, with an estimated weight of 13,300 tonnes each, while jackets will weigh approximately 7,000 tonnes each. The offshore substations as well as the onshore converter stations will be built by a consortium comprising Hitachi Energy and Chantiers de l’Atlantique.

The AO8 offshore wind farm covers 260 square kilometres and is located 40-50 kilometres east of the Manche department.

The AO4 wind farm offshore Normandy will be built by Eoliennes en Mer Manche Normandie, a special purpose company of EDF Renouvelables and Canada’s Maple Power.