In 2019, a consortium including DEME Offshore and Eiffage Métal 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 off the coast of the Guérande peninsula in western France.
The XL-monopile foundations have to be installed on a difficult rocky seabed. DEME Offshore and Herrenknecht, the global leader in tunnel boring machines, are fabricating an innovative tailormade subsea drill specifically for the project which will be deployed from DEME Offshore’s installation vessel ‘Innovation’.
“Installing drilled XL-monopiles is a new step forward in the offshore wind industry” said Bart De Poorter, General Manager DEME Offshore. “With this innovative solution, developed in partnership with Herrenknecht, we ensure that the installation is performed safely and efficiently in challenging marine conditions.”
Ulrich Schaffhauser, Member of the Board of Management of Herrenknecht AG added that the Offshore Foundation Drilling (OFD) enables mechanised installation of monopiles, thus providing ecological and economic advantages compared to conventional methods.
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