• The fleet of 80 wind turbines at sea, off Saint-Nazaire, becomes a reality with the transport and installation of the first four masts, nacelles and blades.

  • The full commissioning of France's first offshore wind farm is scheduled for the end of the year.

A few days ago, the big maneuvers began in the port of Saint-Nazaire.

The offshore wind farm, the first in France to see the light of day before that of Fécamp (Seine Maritime) and Courseulles-sur-Mer (Calvados) in particular, is being installed.

Its full commissioning is scheduled for the end of the year.

Here's what you need to know.

What is this wind farm project?

Officially launched in 2012, the Saint-Nazaire offshore wind farm project, off Croisic in Loire-Atlantique, is becoming a reality, after several years of delay punctuated by legal appeals from opponents.

With a capacity of 480 MW, the first installation of this type in France will consist of 80 wind turbines 180 meters high planted in the seabed, about fifteen kilometers from the coast.

The objective is for this park, covering an area of ​​80 km², to supply 20% of the electricity needs of Loire-Atlantique.

According to EDF Renewables, which finances and owns half of this 2 billion euro project, this is the equivalent of the domestic consumption of 700,000 people.

Some 1,200 local jobs "have been mobilized" for its construction.

What is happening at the moment in Saint-Nazaire?

On Wednesday, after several postponements due to weather conditions, the first four wind turbines were embarked on the ship

Vole au vent

.

It is this extraordinary Luxembourg boat, capable of "raising itself above the water thanks to its 'legs'" to remain as stable as possible, which is in charge of the entire installation, in particular thanks to its impressive crane with a lifting capacity of 1,500 tons.

Nearly a hundred people are on board during the two-hour crossing, but especially during the 24 hours that will be needed to install the first four masts, nacelles and their twelve giant blades.

The first wind turbine at sea should be in place in the next few hours, predicts EDF Renouvelables.

The round trips must thus continue for several weeks.



How it works ?

To transform the energy of the wind into electricity, the 80 units are linked together by cables, which still have to be pulled, to an electrical substation, which was installed last August.

The connection, made by RTE, was completed between Courance beach and the electrical substation.

To do this, 110 km of cables have already been installed at the bottom of the sea. This is also where steel tubes 7 meters in diameter (the foundations of the wind turbines) must still be planted, about twenty meters from depth.

Seven wind farms of this type are to be commissioned in the coming years, while more than 5,000 offshore wind turbines are already connected in Europe today.

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