Saint-Brieuc offshore wind farm: 1,500 jobs mobilized in France

In 2019 and 2020, Ailes Marines finalized contracts with its tier 1 suppliers for the supply of the various equipment for the park and for their installation at sea: Navantia, for the manufacture of the 62 jacket foundations of the wind turbines, with extensive use of the polder newly created at the port of Brest; Van Oord for the transport and installation of the jacket foundations and the foundation piles of the electrical substation; Prysmian for the supply of the park's inter-wind turbine cables; Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy for the manufacture of 62 wind turbines in their new factory in Le Havre; Saipem for the transport and installation of the upper part of the substation at sea; Eiffage Métal and Engie Solutions for the manufacture of the electrical substation; GE Grid Solutions for the supply of the main electrical equipment of the park substation.

From the start of the project in 2012, Ailes Marines has aimed to position the Saint-Brieuc park as a driver of economic development for the region, with the aim of bringing together and encouraging regional businesses to work.
Beyond the standard bearers Navantia-Windar in Brest and Siemens Gamesa in Le Havre, whose industrial activity involves a large number of companies in Brittany and the Great West, Ailes Marines has favored the use of local businesses or the development of activities in the territory. As examples, we can cite the carrying out of environmental studies, the execution of the development of the site base in Lézardrieux or the supply of buoys (cardinals, weather, turbidity measurement, etc.) necessary for the site at sea.

Concerning the Lézardrieux base, the Atos company has installed an operational maritime coordination center in Pleudaniel (Côtes-d'Armor) to coordinate, monitor and document all traffic in and around the construction zone. The TSM group, a French service vessel owner, will operate on the fleet under construction with the French-flagged vessels KERMOR and BON SECOURS 7. These two vessels are dedicated to surveillance and transfer of personnel. The Vulcain company will supervise offshore installation operations, control safety and environmental procedures and coordinate the activities of the Lézardrieux construction base.

In total since 2012, the implementation of the project has involved 116 companies in Brittany, alongside Ailes Marines and its various suppliers. This is demonstrated by the public support of the Regional Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Brittany.
By soliciting local VSEs, SMEs and ETIs to carry out various works and services, the construction of the Saint-Brieuc offshore wind farm generates additional activity in the Breton territory, but also allows the development and sustainability of specific local skills.
The completion of the project will mobilize 1,500 jobs in France, including around 500 located in Brittany. The project contributes to the development of a new industrial sector, creating sustainable and quality jobs, in a context of essential economic recovery due to the pandemic.

The Saint-Brieuc offshore wind project contributes to the energy transition undertaken by France.
It is part of the Breton electricity pact signed between the Region and the State. By producing green electricity for 835,000 inhabitants, the park will contribute to the opening up of electricity in Brittany. The Saint-Brieuc project is widely supported by the population. According to the result of the IFOP survey published on January 20, 2021, 71% of the inhabitants of the Côtes-d'Armor department surveyed responded that they were in favor of the project. In the departments of Brittany (Finistère, Ille-et-Vilaine, Morbihan, Côtes-d'Armor) and Loire-Atlantique, support for the project reached 81%.