RTE earmarks sites for floating wind substations

Two floating wind farms are set to be installed in the Gulf of Lion, which lies off the coast of southern France and northeast Spain, in the Occitanie region.

Fugro has mobilised its Gargano vessel, which is equipped with all the necessary drilling, sampling and cone penetration testing equipment required for carrying out deep borehole investigations to present accurate geodata for foundation planning.

The cost of connecting the installation to the electricity network on land is estimated at around €40 million, and will include cables stretching up to 20 kilometres under sea and on land.

France has ambitious plans to speed up its offshore wind power capacity, whether fixed or floating, and has planned auctions of 2GW minimum per year from 2025, according to WindEurope, the European industry alliance. Each of the Gulf of Lion sites will be installed with the capacity to generate 750MW, Fugro says.

“We are committed to supporting the French government in achieving its sustainability goals and we look forward to contributing to the success of this important renewable energy initiative,” said Denys Borel, Fugro’s commercial manager France.

In February, Fugro said it was buying two platform supply vessels to re-purpose into geotechnical vessels. The 83.4m long, 60-berth Topaz Endurance and Topaz Energy were both built in 2015 and designed by Ulstein.

Fugro says the vessels are more energy efficient than its current fleet and also have the potential to be converted to hybrid propulsion or alternative marine fuels. The company says it intends to grow its uncrewed surface vessels as part of its net zero 2035 roadmap.