INFRASTRUCTURE

Consortium selected for France's Fecamp offshore wind farm foundations

As part of a construction consortium, Boskalis will prepare seabed rock foundation for wind farm

 As part of a consortium, Boskalis will undertake the design and preparation of the seabed rock foundation prior to gravity-based structures being installed for a French offshore wind farm project

As part of a consortium, Boskalis will undertake the design and preparation of the seabed rock foundation prior to gravity-based structures being installed for a French offshore wind farm project

The award was made by Eoliennes Offshore des Hautes Falaises (EOHF). The contract carries a total value of €552 million (US$588 million).

The offshore wind farm will be located between 13 and 22km off the coast of Fécamp in Normandy. The 71 wind turbines will be connected to the gravity-based foundations installed on the seabed at depths between 25 and 30m.

Within the consortium, Bouygues, as the leader of the consortium, and Saipem are tasked with the design, construction and installation on the seabed of the gravity-based foundations with an individual weight of up to 5,000t necessary to provide the stability of the 7MW wind turbines. Boskalis is tasked with the design and preparation of the seabed rock foundation prior to GBS installation, and the scour protection and ballasting of the GBS after installation on the seabed.

The foundations will be constructed in the Bougainville maritime works yard in the Grand Port Maritime of Le Havre and then transported by barge to the wind farm site.

The works are expected to be completed by the end of 2022. The commissioning and operational start-up of the wind farm are planned for 2023.

With a total power output of some 500MW, the Fécamp offshore wind farm should produce the equivalent of the domestic electricity consumption of approximately 770,000 people, representing more than 60 per cent of the inhabitants of the Seine-Maritime department.