The work
Information for sea users & residents
Work on the Saint-Brieuc offshore wind farm
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The main phases of construction
Between 2021 and 2023
Active work zones
In 2023
The stages of the construction phase in the active zone
The main nautical resources mobilized
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Implementation of the park and fishing zones
The logistics of the site
Environmental measures during the construction period
Distribution of the work between Ailes Marines and RTE
Are you a fishing professional?
Find out about financial compensation measures
The main phases of construction
Active work zones in 2023
Sequencing of works to reduce the impact of the project on fishing activity
Order N° 2023/028 in force
Open part of the concession
- RAuthorized navigation
- RAuthorized fishing
Work area
- QProhibition of anchoring, fishing and any underwater activity
The stages of the construction phase in the active zone
As of March 2022
Stage 1: Preliminary work
A detailed mapping of the site was carried out before the work, using underwater robots, to identify the last debris/rock blocks that would need to be moved a few dozen metres. Following this stage, protective layers, known as "anti-scouring" (small blocks of a few tens of cm), are installed when necessary. The purpose of these protections is to stabilise the substrate either for the installation phase, under the feet of the ships and equipment, or for the operation phase in order to avoid scouring the structures.
Step 2: Installation of the foundation piles
The 190 piles were transported in 2021 and stored temporarily in Cherbourg. They are being transferred to the construction site by a specialised ship. The construction vessel Aeolus drills the holes that will receive the piles. The piles are then inserted into the holes and sealed into the ground.
Step 3: Installation of the foundations (Jackets type)
After being partly built in Brest and assembled in Fene (Spain), the jackets will be transported on cargo barges towed by an ocean-going tug. Once on site, the jackets are installed by a dedicated vessel which will insert the feet of the jacket into the previously installed piles.
Step 4: Installation of the electrical substation
The electrical substation will be transported by two convoys from Antwerp. The first will transport the jacket, the second the electrical substation module. The vessel "Saipem 7000", one of the largest in the world for this type of operation, will install the elements on the piles that were previously installed in 2021. The operations include the installation and sealing of the jacket on the 4 piles provided for this purpose, the lifting operation of the substation module, the fixing of the elements by welding, as well as the commissioning of the substation components.
Step 5: Installing the cables
Ailes Marines has set itself the objective of burying all the cables in order to ensure maximum maritime safety in the park for sea users, including professional fishermen. The particularly difficult site conditions (very hard rock, numerous boulders, dolerite seams, etc.) mean that the work will be complex and will be carried out in several stages. The 2021 campaign focused on pre-trenching operations, i.e. opening a trench to install the electric cable later. The 2022 campaign aims to install part of the cables.
Step 6: On-site presence
All these activities are carried out by numerous vessels. At the peak of the project, there will be more than 20 vessels on site: about 4 for the pile installation operations (transfer, drilling, boulder removal, substrate stabilisation), 6 for the jackets foundations (tugs, barges, installation vessel), 3 for the cables (laying, trenching, jackets work), 7 for the substation (transport, installation, commissioning).
For more information on the previous steps
Work already completed in 2021
Step 1
The Aeolus installation boat arrives at a site on the Saint-Brieuc wind farm.
Step 2
The Aeolus rises several meters above the water with the help of its self-elevating system.
Step 3
Lifting the drilling jig with the crane and a special lifting tool and positioning it on the seabed.
Step 4
Positioning the drilling jig on the seabed.
Step 5
The supply ship brings the piles and concrete to the field in Saint-Brieuc.
Step 6
The three temporary forms are lifted with the Aeolus crane and inserted into the drilling jig.
Step 7
The drills are in turn inserted into the formwork.
Step 8
Once the depth is reached, the drills are removed from the forms.
Step 9
The three piles are in turn lifted and inserted into the temporary formwork.
Step 10
The sealing is carried out while removing the temporary formwork with the drilling jig.
Step 11
Finally, the drilling jig is recovered and stored on board the Aeolus.
At the end of the first phase of work, the AEOLUS vessel drilled on 5 wind turbine sites and on the site of the electrical substation. A total of 19 holes were drilled by the ship, three quarters of which were at the desired depth. The piles were installed at three positions, those of the SB30 and SB26 wind turbines and the electrical substation.
The main nautical resources mobilized
From 2021 to the present day, more than 67 nautical resources have been mobilized on the Saint-Brieuc offshore wind farm site.
AEOLUS
🇳🇴
Activity: Pile drilling
Size: 140m x 45m
IMO: 9612636
MMSI.: 245179000
AETHRA
🇨🇾
Activity: Pre-slicing
Size: 95m x 22m
IMO: 9181481
MMSI.: 212466000
ARIADNE
🇬🇷
Activity: Cable laying
Size: 130m x 25m
IMO: 9413535
MMSI.: 241760000
BRAVE TERN
🇲🇹
Activity: Wind turbine installation
Size: 131.7m x 39m
IMO: 9583782
MMSI.: 229044000
AEOLUS
🇳🇴
Activity: Pile drilling
Size: 140m x 45m
IMO: 9612636
MMSI.: 245179000
GMS ENDEAVOUR
🇵🇦
Activity: Commissioning of electrical substation
Size: 84m x 36m
IMO: 9558983
MMSI. : 370582000
AETHRA
🇨🇾
Activity: Pre-slicing
Size: 95m x 22m
IMO: 9181481
MMSI.: 212466000
SAIPEM 7000
🇧🇸
Activity: Installation of electrical substation
Size: 197.95m x 87m
IMO: 8501567
MMSI.: 309461000
ARIADNE
🇬🇷
Activity: Cable laying
Size: 130m x 25m
IMO: 9413535
MMSI.: 241760000
SEVEN BOREALIS
🇧🇸
Activity: Jacket lifting
Size: 182m
IMO: 9452787
MMSI.: 311031900
BRAVE TERN
🇲🇹
Activity: Wind turbine installation
Size: 131.7m x 39m
IMO: 9583782
MMSI.: 229044000
GMS ENDEAVOUR
🇵🇦
Activity: Commissioning of electrical substation
Size: 84m x 36m
IMO: 9558983
MMSI. : 370582000
SAIPEM 7000
🇧🇸
Activity: Installation of electrical substation
Size: 197.95m x 87m
IMO: 8501567
MMSI.: 309461000
SEVEN BOREALIS
🇧🇸
Activity: Jacket lifting
Size: 182m
IMO: 9452787
MMSI.: 311031900
Environmental measures during the construction period
For more information on all environmental measures
The logistics of the site
Le Havre plant
750 jobs mobilized for the construction of the Siemens Gamesa wind turbines.
Polder de Brest
Construction of the jacket foundation components by the Navantia-Windar Joint Venture.
The main companies in the work area
Lizard & Kerantour
I&C (Installation & Commissioning)
Construction monitoring and personnel transport basis.
Saint-Brieuc
Regional office of Ailes Marines
Ailes Marines SAS
19 bis, boulevard Clémenceau
22000 Saint-Brieuc
The Saint-Brieuc wind farm
Foundations:
Installation by Van Oord.
Electrical substations:
Installation by Saipem
Cherbourg
The pile storage area
Ship Jack Up - Aeolus
Installation of piles
Distribution of the work between Ailes Marines and RTE
For more information on the electrical connection of the wind farm, visit the RTE website
The location of the park and the fishing areas
Wind Farm and Fishing
Financial compensation measures
General situation
Whelks
Scallops
A limited impact on fishing zones during the construction phase and a set of measures taken for make the wind farm compatible with the maintenance of fishing activities during the operation phase
The wind farm is not geographically or geomorphologically located within the 800 km2 of the Bay of Saint Brieuc, but off its coast.
- The positioning of the project avoids the most productive areas of the Bay of Saint-Brieuc ( impact study on the fishing sector carried out by the independent consultancy "Océanic Développement" in 2011).
- Little fishing activity in the project area, particularly in the north (Local Nautical Commission 2016).
- From a spatial point of view, the wind farm represents approximately 2% of the fishery statistics ICES 26E7.
| Study area: | |
 |
Area of the park |
| D’un point de vue spatial, le champ éolien représente un peu plus de 3 % des zones de pêche du bulot de l’ensemble de la Baie de Saint-Brieuc, soit : 1% de la zone A 6% de la zone B 0% de la zone C |
|
 |
Boundary of the scallop beds. |
| Study area: | |
|
Area of the park |
| Maritime boundaries : | |
 |
Maritime border between France and UK. |
| The location of the project completely excludes the wind farm from the "Gisement Principal "and the most productive fishing areas in the Bay. It can therefore be estimated that the spatial extent of the wind farm represents less than 1.5% of the scallop production of the whole Bay. | |
- The entire wind farm is located in the "Gisement du large" and therefore completely excludes the "Gisement Principal" scallop wind farm.
- The production of the offshore deposit represents about 15% of the overall production of the Bay of Saint Brieuc (CNL 2016). The spatial extent of the project represents 6% of the "Gisement du large".
- It can therefore be estimated that the wind farm represents less than 1.5% of the scallop production of the whole Bay.