Energy and marine consultancy ABL has been appointed as marine warranty surveyor to support the marine transportation and installation (T&I) operations relating to the construction of the grid connection system known as Centre Manche 1 and Centre Manche 2, offshore Normandy 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) offshore wind farm and part of AO8 (200MW) to the 400 kV substation at Menuel through a 100 km long DC export cable.
Centre Manche 2 will connect the A08 offshore wind farm to the 400 kV substation at Tourbe via a 105 km long DC cable. Both offshore substations will each have a capacity of 1.25 GW.
ABL’s operations in France will act as marine warranty surveyor (MWS) for the transportation and installation campaign for the Centre Manche 1 and 2 offshore substations, the 100 km long DC export cable, and the three 2 km long interstation links.
The platforms will be sister topsides, with an estimated weight of 13,300 tonnes each, while the jackets will weigh approximately 7,000 tons each.
“Being selected for this project reflects our technical reputation in the French market, particularly for T&I work for France’s offshore wind projects, including bottom-fixed platforms and subsea cables. Further to this, our in-house team of marine and engineering consultants draw upon experience from more than 330 offshore wind projects globally,” said Hugues Delanoue, Regional Managing Director for ABL in Europe and West Africa.