DEME secures two contracts for transport and installation of foundations and offshore substation for the Yeu and Noirmoutier islands’ wind farm, marking their second major project in France after the innovative solutions at Saint-Nazaire.
The scope of work includes pre-piling, transportation and installation of the topside, monopile foundations, and transition pieces. The wind farm is developed by Éoliennes en Mer des Îles d’Yeu et de Noirmoutier (EMYN), which includes Ocean Winds, Sumitomo Corporation, La Banque des Territoires, and Vendée Energie.
The wind farm’s rocky and challenging location will necessitate the use of DEME’s advanced drilling technology, including equipment and tools previously used in the Saint-Nazaire project. This includes the 350-tonne Offshore Foundation Drill and the 60m-high MODIGA, which protects the drilling and installation operations from the harsh ocean conditions and significantly improves operational efficiency.
DEME’s ‘Innovation’ vessel will install the foundations, while ‘Pioneering Spirit’ by Allseas will install the substation jacket and topside. The foundation work will start in the second half of 2023, and the installation of the remaining parts is planned for the first half of 2024, using techniques and vessels deployed at the Saint-Nazaire wind farm.
Yves Chiffoleau, Business Unit Director South Europe at DEME Offshore, comments: “We are absolutely delighted to be awarded a second major offshore wind project in France. Saint-Nazaire was an extraordinary project and a challenging one. Many thought it was impossible to drill an entire wind farm into rock, but our expert project team successfully accomplished the project ahead of schedule. We will again deploy our cutting-edge technology and the innovative methodologies developed by our fantastic engineers at Yeu and Noirmoutier. We look forward to working closely with our client to bring clean energy to thousands of French households and to support the country on its journey to achieve the energy transition.”
“This contract signature for the transport and installation of the monopile foundations and substation is an important step towards the EMYN’s construction phase ensuring a proven technology for a challenging installation in safe conditions. As from 2025 the Yeu and Noirmoutier offshore wind farm will produce clean energy for almost 800,000 people – more than the current population of the Vendée department – helping to diversify the energy mix and to continue the quest for carbon neutrality,” added Paolo Cairo, President of the company Eoliennes en Mer des Iles d’Yeu et de Noirmoutier.
DEME considers the combined contracts to be a “large” contract, which means they have a total value exceeding EUR 300 million.
