Nexans to lay cables for Saint Brieuc offshore wind project

RTE France has awarded a €115 million (US$127 million) contract to Nexans to supply and install the 67-kilometre offshore and 93-kilometre onshore power export cables for the 496MW Saint Brieuc offshore wind farm.

The awarded contract also includes inspection, maintenance, and repair (IMR) services for the offshore part of the link.

The project is being developed by the Ailes Marines Consortium and is one of the biggest commercial-scale offshore wind projects in France.

The consortium has been awarded 500MW capacity transmission by the French government. RTE, the French transmission system operator, will design, build, and maintain the two 225kV links (submarine and land) to connect the offshore wind farm to the grid.

For the submarine cables, Nexans will supply two lengths of 33.5-kilometre 225kV three-core cable with a hybrid armouring solution. The cable also features a fibre optic element for remote health monitoring of the cable link and transmission of information between the offshore wind farm and land base.

The cables will be installed by Nexans’ own cable-laying vessel, Nexans Skagerrak.

Located in the English Channel, some 16 kilometres off the coast of Saint Brieuc Bay, the wind farm is expected to generate enough power to meet the daily electricity needs of more than 835,000 homes.