Allseas, a company specializing in offshore installation and construction, has been selected to install the offshore substation for the Yeu and Noirmoutier islands' offshore wind farm development off the coast of Pays-de-la-Loire in France.
The substation jacket and topside will be installed by Pioneering Spirit, which was contracted by DEME Offshore to perform the "lift and set down" job in the first half of 2024.
This is similar to the Saint-Nazaire installation job that Pioneering Spirit completed for DEME in the Bay of Biscay in August 2021, marking Allseas' first assignment in the fast-growing offshore wind industry.
The wind farm development is being undertaken by a consortium called Éoliennes en Mer des Îles d’Yeu et de Noirmoutier (EMYN), which includes Ocean Winds (a joint venture between ENGIE and EDPR), Sumitomo Corporation, La Banque des Territoires, and Vendée Energie.
Allseas has been contracted by DEME, the main offshore contractor, to carry out the jacket and topside installation works, while DEME will perform the installation of the pin piles for the substation foundations and transport the jacket and topside to the installation site.
The transfer of the jacket and topside structures to Pioneering Spirit will be done in the field, and they will be installed directly using the vessel's 5000-tonne crane.
The Yeu-Noirmoutier wind farm development is located 16 km off the Atlantic Coast, where waters can reach a depth of 36 meters. Upon completion, the development will have a total capacity of 496 MW and produce enough energy to meet the annual electricity demands of 800,000 people.