Saint-Nazaire monopile installation reaches halfway mark

Nov. 19, 2021
DEME Offshore’s jackup vessel Innovation has installed 40 XL monopile foundations at the Saint-Nazaire wind farm offshore France.

Offshore staff

ANTWERP, Belgium/ SAINT-NAZAIRE, FranceDEME Offshore’s jackup vessel Innovation has installed 40 XL monopile foundations at the Saint-Nazaire wind farm in the Bay of Biscay offshore France.

For the first time the company is deploying its 350-metric ton (386-ton) offshore foundation drill (OFD) and MODIGA, which encapsulates the drilling and installation operations and shields them from the adverse Atlantic marine conditions.

The company developed the OFD with Herrenknecht and the MODIGA with TMS.

Bart De Poorter, general manager of DEME Offshore Renewables, said: “Not only are we the first to install a wind farm in rock with industry-first technology, the Saint-Nazaire project is also being carried out in harsh Atlantic conditions.”

In 2019, the DEME Offshore and Eiffage Métal consortium received the EPCI contract for 80 steel foundations.

The 480-MW Saint-Nazaire offshore wind farm, owned by EDF Renewables and Enbridge, is located between 12 km and 20 km (7.5 mi and 12 mi) off the Loire-Atlantique coast. It is expected to enter service next year.

11/19/2021

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