The installation vessel Innovation will deploy the subsea drill at the Saint-Nazaire offshore wind farm in France.

(Courtesy DEME)

Offshore staff

ZWIJNDRECHT, Belgium DEME Offshore and Herrenknecht have agreed to build a subsea drill that will be deployed at the Saint-Nazaire offshore wind farm in France.

This is said to be the first wind farm to use drilled XL-monopile foundations.

In 2019, a consortium including DEME Offshore and Eiffage Mtal was awarded the EPCI contract for 80 foundations for the French wind farm. The scope includes the design, fabrication, transportation, and installation of the steel foundations.

The 480-MW Saint-Nazaire offshore wind farm, owned by EDF Renewables and Enbridge, will be located between 12 km and 20 km (7.5 mi and 12 mi) off the coast of the Gurande peninsula in western France.

The XL-monopile foundations have to be installed on a difficult rocky seabed. The companies are fabricating a subsea drill specifically for the project. The subsea drill will be deployed from DEME Offshores installation vessel Innovation.

Bart De Poorter, general manager of DEME Offshore, said: Installing drilled XL-monopiles is a new step forward in the offshore wind industry.

Ulrich Schaffhauser, member of the board of management of Herrenknecht AG, added: The offshore foundation drilling enables mechanized installation of monopiles, thus providing ecological and economic advantages compared to conventional methods.

02/12/2020

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Innovation to deploy subsea drill at French offshore wind farm - Offshore Oil and Gas Magazine