fishermen denounce chemical discharges

The fisheries committees of Côtes-d’Armor and Ille-et-Vilaine on Tuesday asked for the stoppage of the construction site of the wind farm in the bay of Saint-Brieuc due to alleged releases into the sea of ​​chemical substances. “The Fisheries Committees became aware, thanks to a whistleblower present on board the Aeolus drilling vessel, of the fact that quantities of preparation used for the chemical sealing of the piles were dumped (daily?) in the bay of Saint Brieuc on the wind farm”, denounce the two committees in a press release.

They indicate that they have sent the photos and videos of these “intentional spills” to the public prosecutor of Brest. “The Fisheries Committees demand that the site be immediately halted until all light is shed on the pollution that occurred in 2021 and that linked to the intentional spillage of chemical sealants in recent weeks,” the statement added.

Questioned by AFP, the company responsible for the construction of the Ailes Marines park, a subsidiary of the Spanish company Iberdrola, said that it had carried out unexpected checks on the boat. “Ailes Marines specialists noted the absence of unauthorized spills or unusual events inherent in the drilling and installation of piles at sea. The projected videos seem to show the evacuation of an overflow, it nevertheless, Van Oord (subcontractor of Ailes marines, editor’s note) was reminded to fully store stagnant or other water on board the Aeolus ship,” Ailes Marines said in an email.

The installation of the first submerged metal foundation of the wind farm took place at the beginning of July.

Contested by fishermen, the park of 62 wind turbines is scheduled to enter service at the end of 2023. It “will produce the equivalent of 9% of Brittany’s electricity consumption” and “will contribute to its energy autonomy”, according to Ailes Marines. Brittany currently produces only 19% of its electricity needs, according to the Electricity Transmission Network (RTE).