French offshore wind development

In early 2011, the French government announced that it was issuing an international call for bids for the installation of a total of 3 GW of offshore wind capacity.  

Call for tenders will take place in the second quarter of 2011.
Winning bids will be announced in 2012, and the first wind farms are set to start up in 2015.

France is a country with good wind energy development prospects in many respects. With a long coast open to the English Channel, the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, its geography is suited for offshore wind energy. According to the September issue of Windpower Monthly, France’s potential offshore production is estimated at 90 TWh.

This translates not only into clean, renewable energy for millions of French households, but thousands of potential jobs related to the construction and maintenance of offshore wind farms.

Offshore wind farms ready for lift-off

In France, AREVA plan to play a crucial role in the development of 6 GWe of offshore wind farms planned by the government for 2020. A new industrial base will be developed by our group in the port of Le Havre in France in order to meet the needs of this new market and contribute to the development of the subsidiary.

In early 2011, the French government announced that it was issuing an international call for bids for the installation of a total of 3 GW of offshore wind capacity. These first offshore wind projects, at an estimated 10 billion euros, will create thousands of jobs.

Five areas have been selected for the installation of offshore wind farms:

• Le Tréport (Seine-Maritime department, maximum of 750 MW),
• Fécamp (Seine-Maritime department, 500 MW),
• Courseulles-sur-Mer (Calvados department, 500 MW),
• Saint-Brieuc (Côtes-d’Armor department, 500 MW) and
• Saint-Nazaire (Loire-Atlantique department, 750 MW).

The call for tender was launched in July 2011, with a submission deadline on January 11, 2012. Selections will be announced in April 2012, and wind farms construction will begin in 2015.
During this first phase, the government aims to install 600 wind turbines that will produce power for the electricity grid by 2015.

A second call for tender will be announced in 2012, in order to reach the 6 GWe goal by 2020, This equals 23% of total French energy demand to be covered by renewable energy.

AREVA : a key actor in the offshore power market

To answer the French international call for bids of a total of 3 GW of offshore wind capacity, launched at the beginning of 2011, AREVA signed agreements with:

• GDF-Suez and Vinci, two of France’s leading energy and construction companies, with the shared ambition to build up competitive, sustainable offshore wind industry in France, which will bring jobs.
  Under the exclusive agreement, the consortium will be replying to the call for bids for three wind farms: Dieppe-Le Tréport, Courseulles-sur-Mer and Fécamp. The wind farms will be developed by the investor consortium comprising GDF Suez and Vinci, and will be provided with wind energy converters manufactured by AREVA.
• Iberdrola Renovables,  – a Spanish industrial group –, the world leader in renewable energies, for the presentation of an offer for the two other sites in the call for tender: Saint-Nazaire and Saint-Brieuc.

With 5 MWe of power, the M5000 is particularly powerful, yet light and compact. The wind turbine can therefore be transported and erected with ease.

• The nacelle is completely assembled on land so that it may be directly mounted on the tower as a single piece. This choice, which is more cost-effective, also saves time and reinforces security.
• All of our offshore 5-MWe M5000 wind turbines are currently tested on the full load test bench developed by AREVA Wind and located in Bremerhaven, to ensure the strong reliability of all wind turbines in the future offshore sites.
• The low rotational speed and the low number of rotating parts and roller bearings reduce the risk of damage to the central drive train of the M5000 to a minimum. In addition, all key auxiliary aggregates and sensors are installed in duplicate, so that their failure does not lead to a complete standstill.
• A special system permanently monitors the status of key components and reliably reports any irregularity. This makes maintenance work easier to plan and thus doubly.
• The M5000 is certified DIN ISO 9001 and GL-Offshore 2005 with the German authorities.

AREVA Wind has expanded the performance of the M5000 by developing a new 135-meter rotor. With this improvement, the M5000-135 offers improved performance and reduced risks, making it the top technological solution for the next series of installations on the European offshore wind power market.

AREVA has been present in the sector since 2004 and is Europe’s second-largest offshore wind industry player. Its 5 MW M5000 turbine has already brought in 600 MW of confirmed backlog with firm backing from Europe’s foremost banks. This proven technology and an installed base which will total more than 120 turbines by the end of 2014. 

Alpha Ventus

At the end of 2009, AREVA Wind proceeded to the installation of the first six wind turbines of the Alpha Ventus wind farm in Germany, a pilot project carried out in collaboration with EWE, E.ON Climate & Renewables and Vattenfall.
Anchored at a depth of 30 meters and located approximately 45 kilometers north of the Island of Borkum, Alpha Ventus is the first German wind farm built in the high seas. Its construction, assembly, operation and network connection at the end of 2009 have provided unique lessons for the development of future offshore wind farms..

Borkum West II

In 2010, AREVA Wind won a 400 million euro contract with Trianel, one of the most important municipal organizations in Europe. The contract is for the delivery of forty M5000 wind turbines to the Borkum West II offshore wind park in the North Sea. It will be the largest wind turbine project ever undertaken in the German waters of the North Sea and, most importantly, it will be the first municipal offshore wind farm. Located 45 km off the north coast of the island of Borkum, the project will be near the Alpha Ventus site. Eleven large banks will be involved in the financing of the Borkum West II project. Operations are scheduled to start at the turn of the year 2012/2013. La livraison du parc est prévue en 2012.

Global Tech 1

The Global Tech 1 project, which was also won in 2010, includes a farm of 80 M5000 wind turbines to be installed in the North Sea. Located 90 km off the German coast and operated by Wetfeet Offshore Windenergy, which groups together municipal organizations, the farm will produce roughly 1.4 billion kWh per year, providing electricity to a million users. Global Tech I will be connected to the national grid in 2012 and fully completed in 2013.