Siemens Gamesa to supply French offshore project

Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy (SGRE, Zamudio, Spain) will supply its new 8 MW offshore wind turbine, the SG 8.0-167 DD, to the 500 MW Saint Brieuc offshore wind project off France’s Bretagne coast. The ordered direct-drive wind turbines will replace Adwen’s AD 8-180 model.

The switch to the Siemens Gamesa direct-drive platform as the technical solution for the project being developed by Ailes Marines S.A.S. (Paris, France) has been approved by the French Minister for the Ecological and Inclusive Transition. The current project makes Siemens Gamesa the supplier for nearly 1.524 GW of wind projects in France, or a total of 189 direct drive turbines to be installed.

The latest direct-drive turbine platform for Saint Brieuc offers a rotor diameter of 167m with B82 blades of nearly 82m in length, allowing 18% larger swept area and up to 20% higher annual energy production than its predecessor SWT-7.0-154. As part of the proven offshore direct-drive platform, the SG 8.0-167 DD utilizes known technology, combined with its rotor upgrade, to offer customers reliable revenue streams with reduced cost of energy and mitigated risk.

Andreas Nauen, CEO Offshore at Siemens Gamesa, says “This switch of technology for the Saint Brieuc project is positive news for the project as well as for the whole industry. It demonstrates the leadership position of Siemens Gamesa in the offshore wind market in France.”

In September 2017 more than 300 offshore direct-drive units have been handed over to customers, and more than 1000 will be installed by 2020. Siemens Gamesa has a proven offshore track record with more than 2,800 wind turbines sold and nearly 11 GW installed.