Van Oord has landed a contract to transport and install 62 jacket foundations for an offshore wind farm in the bay of Saint-Brieuc, France.
Ailes Marines (a joint venture between Iberdrola and Avel Vor) has contracted Van Oord to execute the works, which are scheduled to start in 2021. The first task will be the installation of the pin piles, which will be done using the offshore installation vessel, Aeolus.
A second vessel will join the project in 2022 to assist with the installation of the jackets foundations; these will be manufactured in Fene, Spain and in Brest, France.
The main crane of the Aeolus has a lifting capacity of more than 1,600 tonnes and can work at water depths of up to 45 m. Van Oord was awarded an early works contract for this project during December 2019 in order to expedite the design and engineering. Construction on the subsea drilling template has already started and is scheduled for delivery in Q4 2020.
Pieter van Oord, ceo at the company, said: "Van Oord has a long history executing a variety of projects in France – the most recent example being our involvement in the various phases of the deepening of the River Seine. The Saint-Brieuc project will be our first offshore wind project in France and I am proud of our involvement. Especially since we are delighted to have the opportunity to work with Iberdrola again. By taking on this offshore wind project, we are also contributing to the EU-wide renewable energy target of 32 percent by 2030.”
