• Significant pollution at sea was observed off Saint-Brieuc on the construction site of the offshore wind farm.

  • According to the company responsible for the construction of the park, the oil that spilled into the sea would not be dangerous.

  • Minister Barbara Pompili then summoned the leaders of the manufacturer, calling for a total exemplary nature of the offshore wind industry. 

They were already headlong against this offshore wind farm project in the bay of Saint-Brieuc. So the incident on the site which resulted in "significant" pollution at sea made them jump. "The bay of Saint-Brieuc is not an open-air laboratory where industrialists come to test tools and pollute the marine environment", underlines the departmental fisheries committee of Côtes-d'Armor, which will file a complaint against Ailes Marines, the builder of the park.

The incident occurred early Monday morning on board the

Aeolus

ship,

which has been carrying out drilling work in the area since the beginning of May.

Belonging to the Dutch company Van Oord, the ship told authorities "a 100-liter oil leak", according to the Maritime Prefecture of the Atlantic.

A slick then spread in the sea over an area of ​​about 16 km long and 3 km wide not far from the coast.

This Tuesday at the end of the morning, the pollution remained "localized at sea", warns the prefecture of Côtes-d'Armor.

A support and assistance vessel chartered from the French Navy was also expected this Tuesday morning in the area to start anti-pollution operations.

A "biodegradable" oil according to the park manufacturer

Asked to explain this pollution, the management of Ailes Marines evokes this Tuesday in a press release "a technical problem" encountered by the ship during a second series of drilling. “This technical problem resulted in the flow of Panolin HLP Synth hydraulic fluid used in the guide systems of the drills,” says the company, which belongs to the Spanish group Iberdrola.

It also wishes to reassure about the nature of the liquid that has spilled at sea, "a fluid specially designed and developed for work at sea which is biodegradable".

"It is considered in the industry as one of the most environmentally friendly", continues the company which immediately stopped work on the site "pending the technical inspection of the drilling template by the authorities. ".

"Once this inspection is completed, the

Aeolus will

return to its home port in order to carry out a complete technical check of the vessel and the tools" she concludes.

Zero tolerance for the deployment of the sector

Once the incident was known, the Minister of Ecological Transition Barbara Pompili immediately reacted by summoning the leaders of Iberdrola urgently this Tuesday at the end of the morning.

During the meeting, the minister explained that she would not tolerate "any negligence in the deployment of this offshore wind sector which is promising for the future and on which France is far behind", indicates her entourage.

I expect the offshore wind industry to be a complete example in the deployment of crucial energy.

In St-Brieuc, we make sure that Iberdrola takes all measures to clean up the pollution and ensure the continuation of the site in irreproachable conditions.

pic.twitter.com/QMYsuhF48n

- Barbara Pompili (@barbarapompili) June 15, 2021

In a region still ravaged by oil spills which have repeatedly soiled its coastline, this new episode of pollution has not failed to react.

"All the necessary actions must be implemented to preserve the Breton coasts," said regional president Loïg Chesnais-Girard.

Ailes Marines must show the greatest responsibility and transparency in this matter.

I demand that the company be exemplary at all stages of the project ”.

His opponent for the regional Thierry Burlot for his part strongly criticized the wind farm site which "is becoming a shipwreck".

“Thirteen years of discussions, faltering follow-up, insufficient compensation.

That's enough !

»Reacted on Twitter the candidate supported by the Republic running for the election.

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