Energy: the Saint-Nazaire offshore wind farm is now running at full speed


“Located between 12 and 20 kilometers from the coast, the 80 wind turbines of the park now produce the equivalent of 20% of the annual electricity consumption of the Loire-Atlantique”, specifies EDF.

France’s first offshore wind farm has been running at full speed since Wednesday, off Saint-Nazaire (Loire-Atlantique), EDF announced, a few hours before the inauguration of this park, the full commissioning of which coincides with the appointment of the energy company’s new boss, Luc Rémont. “EDF Renewables and EIH Sarl (…) have the honor to announce the full commissioning of the Saint-Nazaire offshore wind farm with an installed capacity of 480 MW“Said EDF in a press release.

The inauguration in Saint-Nazaire must bring together all the stakeholders: State, communities, companies, professional and environmental associations. The maintenance of the park, which extends over 78 km2, monitored remotely from a base located in the port of La Turballe, will be carried out by around a hundred people during the 25 years of its operation. Work to connect the park had started in 2019, before the construction of the park at sea which took place in 2021 and 2022, with first the installation of the foundations and electrical cables under water, then the routing wind turbines on site, from the spring of 2022 until the installation of the last on September 5.

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Since the production of its first megawatt-hours (MWh) at the beginning of June 2022, the Saint-Nazaire offshore wind farm has gradually connected its 80 wind turbines to the national electricity transmission network.“, Which supply electricity equivalent to the annual consumption of 700,000 people, or about half of the population of the Loire-Atlantique department, according to EDF.

It’s about “first offshore wind farm in France on an industrial scale“, declared Bruno Bensasson, Chairman and CEO of EDF Renewables, who recalled EDF’s objective of “double its net renewable energy capacity worldwide to reach 60 GW in 2030“. “The 80 wind turbines are in operation and connected to the grid“, they are “the result of three and a half years of work, during which there are about a hundred professions engaged in more than 1600 companies in total“Explained the director of the Saint-Nazaire offshore wind farm, Olivier de La Laurencie, to an AFP correspondent. “Winter is the period when there is the most wind, so obviously this new electricity arriving in our networks will help us get through the winter well.“, he underlined.

This announcement from EDF comes as the executive appointed Wednesday in the Council of Ministers the new CEO of EDF, Luc Rémont, who will have the heavy task of reviving nuclear power, but also solar and wind power.



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