The first green megawatts produced from Iberdrola’s Saint-Brieuc offshore wind farm have been connected into the French national electricity grid by its manager, Réseau de Transport d'Électricité (RTE). The project is Iberdrola’s first in France, and only the second offshore wind project to produce power in the country.
After a testing phase, the initial electricity to flow from the wind farm was con-nected to the grid on 5 July 2023 under the supervision of Iberdrola’s maritime co-ordination centre based in Kerantour (Côtes d'Armor).
The production of the wind farm will increase as the 62 wind turbines are installed and commissioned in the months ahead.
“It is with great pride that we have started producing clean energy from the first wind turbines in the project. This is a landmark moment, following 12 years of hard work to deliver this mega-scale project, which contributes both to the energy security of Brittany and to the energy transition, a key element in the battle against climate change,” said Emmanuel Rollin, CEO of Iberdrola France.
The electricity produced is collected by the offshore electrical substation located in the centre of the wind farm. It is transported by two subsea export cables with a voltage of 225 kV installed by RTE to Caroual beach, in Erquy. Electricity is connected into the grid via the Doberie substation located in Hénansal (Côtes-d'Armor).
The project will produce about 1820 GWh/y, which corresponds to the annual electricity consumption of 835 000 inhabitants (including heating) or 9% of Brittany's total electricity consumption. Once fully commissioned, the territory of Côtes-d'Armor (600 000 inhabitants) will produce more energy than it consumes domestically. The Saint-Brieuc offshore wind farm increases Brittany's energy security, while contributing to the objectives of the Multiannual Energy Program (PPE).
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Energy Global's Spring 2023 issue
The Spring 2023 issue of Energy Global hosts an array of technical articles focusing on offshore wind, solar technology, energy storage, green hydrogen, waste-to-energy, and more. This issue also features a regional report on commodity challenges facing Asia’s energy transition.