After EDF Renewables, Enbridge, and wpd on Tuesday announced the sanctioning of the $2,2 billion Fécamp offshore wind project in France, Siemens Gamesa has confirmed it has received the firm order for the supply of wind turbines for the project.
The offshore wind turbine maker will deliver 71 SWT-7.0-154 offshore wind turbines each with capacity of 7 MW. Siemens Gamesa has also secured a 15-year maintenance contract for the 497 MW project located in Normandy.
The turbines will be manufactured in the wind turbine plant Siemens Gamesa is to build in Le Havre, France.
The announcement of this firm order comes in addition to the recent firm order from Ailes Marines consortium for the 496 MW Bay of St. Brieuc offshore wind power plant located in Britanny. Here, Siemens Gamesa will supply 62 SG 8.0-167 DD offshore wind turbines and maintain them for 10 years. These machines will also be manufactured in Le Havre.
"These first two firm orders, which is almost 1,000 MW of capacity of the 2,500 MW currently in our French project pipeline, strengthen Siemens Gamesa´s leadership of the French offshore wind industry. This is good news for the renewable energy transition in France, and allows us to fully bring our offshore manufacturing project in Le Havre to life," says Andreas Nauen, CEO of the Siemens Gamesa Offshore Business Unit.
The next expected orders for Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy (SGRE) concern the Courseulles sur mer, Dieppe le Tréport and Yeu Noirmoutier projects for a total of nearly 1500 MW of additional capacity, SGRE said.
The consortium led by GTM Normandie-Centre, a VINCI Construction France subsidiary, was selected for the construction of the facility to be located on the Quai Joannès Couvert in the Port of Le Havre. The 20-hectare factory will be the first in the world to manufacture all main offshore wind turbine components under one roof, SGRE said.
“More than a third of the consortium is made up of local companies that will draw on the know-how of partners and subcontractors from the local and regional economic fabric. The work will use materials produced in Le Havre. With more than 600 000 hours of work, the project will mobilize a total of almost 350 people, with provisions designed to promote local employment.” explained Christophe Quardel, Regional Director of GTM Normandie-Centre.
The offshore wind turbine plant is the largest industrial project in the French renewable energy industry to date and will be used to supply Siemens Gamesa offshore wind projects in France and potentially abroad. Start of operation for the plant is scheduled to take place between the end of 2021 and early 2022, SGRE said.
The Siemens Gamesa offshore manufacturing plant in Le Havre is expected to create approximately 750 direct and indirect jobs when fully operational, particularly in the fields of composite materials, mechanical assembly, and logistics. Siemens Gamesa is expected to start recruiting at the end of 2020.