The manufacturer signed the agreement with Ferme Eolienne Flottante de Groix & Belle-Île (FEFGBI) - a development consortium owned by floating wind contractor Eolfi, utility CGN Europe Energy and bank la Banque des Territories.
The trio of V164-9.5MW turbines will be mounted on Naval Energies’ semi-submersible floating platforms, which consist of four cylindrical steel drums connected to a ballasted base anchored to the seabed by six mooring lines.
The project will be installed in waters 55-70 metres deep off the west coast of France. Installation is planned for 2022, MHI Vestas told Windpower Monthly.
The final selection of the turbine supplier allows the developers to sign financing agreements with France’s Environment and Energy Management Agency (Ademe), which chose FEFGBI to deliver the pilot floating wind farm in a tender in July 2016.
GE was slated to supply four turbines to the project, but pulled out of the agreement because it plans to phase out production of its Haliade 6MW model.
This prompted the developers to search for a replacement model. The consortium added that using MHI Vestas’ 9.5MW model means fewer turbines can now be used, while the project’s overall capacity will grow from 24MW to 28.5MW.
The turbines will be installed in an offshore zone off the coast of Brittany and connected to the French grid via an undersea and underground cable installed by RTE.
