Dutch offshore energy industry specialist SBM Offshore said Thursday it had installed three floating wind units for the Provence Grand Large pilot project at their final location, 17 kilometers off the Port-Saint-Louis-du-Rhône, near Marseille, France.
"This marks a major milestone in the company’s Engineering, Procurement, Construction and Installation scope," said the company, best known for supplying FPSO systems to global oil and gas majors.
"Provence Grand Large is the first project in the world to use a tension leg floater developed by SBM Offshore in cooperation with IFP Energies Nouvelles. SBM Offshore's floater results in reduced motion and stress on the turbine components, hence is compatible with all wind turbines. The minimal footprint of this type of floater represents also an optimal solution for the development of floating wind farms," SBM Offshore said.
The anchoring system installation and hook-up of the floaters were managed and executed using the company's construction vessel Normand Installer.
The subsea cables will be installed from the floaters to the Port-Saint-Louis-du-Rhône station, with the first electron anticipated in early 2024 following a testing period.
The 25MW pilot farm is composed of three tension leg floaters, each supporting 8.4MW wind turbine generator supplied by Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy.
"These are the most powerful turbines installed offshore in France today," SBM Offshore said.
Provence Grand Large is expected to produce the equivalent of the annual electricity consumption of 45,000 inhabitants.
SBM Offshore won a deal with EDF Renouvelables in 2016, for the engineering, procurement, construction, and installation of three floating units and its mooring system for the project Provence Grand Large.
(Homepage photo credit: SBM Offshore)