EDF Contracts for First Offshore Windfarm

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Written by Martin Lynch, European News Editor for Industrial Info (Galway, Ireland)--French energy giant Electricite de France (EPA:EDF) (Paris) has awarded contracts worth €171 million ($247 million) for the construction of its first offshore windfarm.

Through its U.K. renewable energy arm, EDF Energy Renewables (London, England) the company has chosen Siemens Energy, a division of Siemens AG (NYSE:SI) (Munich, Germany) and Dutch marine engineering firm Van Oord (Rotterdam) to build the 62-megawatt (MW) Teeside windfarm, located off the coast of Redcar in northeast England. The windfarm represents the companies first offshore venture as it tries to expand its energy portfolio beyond its traditional nuclear power base.

The Teeside windfarm will boast 27 Siemens' turbines, rated at 2.3 MW each, and will be capable of generating enough power for approximately 40,000 homes when it is commissioned in late 2012. The windfarm was downsized from its original size of 90 MW. Van Oord has been contracted for Balance of Plant, including laying the turbine foundations and sub-sea cabling. The plant, at its nearest point, lies just 1.5 kilometres off the Redcar coast.

EDF Energy Renewables CEO, Christian Egal said it was important to award the contracts to firms with a lot of experience in the offshore wind sector.

Gustl-Bernhard Friedl, head of the Offshore Department at the Business Unit Siemens Wind Power said: "This new order proves that our company and our technology have achieved so much trust in the offshore market that we can attract new clients. So far, most offshore wind power plants have been installed or are currently under construction in Northwest Europe."

EDF's French renewables company, EDF Energies Nouvelles S.A. (EPA:EEN) (Paris), is already gearing up to win part of France's new offshore bonanza. Last month, the French government launched the first phase of the plan to kick-start an offshore energy sector with a massive €10 billion ($14 billion) tender. The aim is to create 3,000 MW of windfarms around the country's coastlines in five proposed zones. For additional information see July 13, 2011, article - France Launches €10 Billion Offshore Wind Bonanza .

EDF is part of a six company consortium that is bidding for all five zones. The five zones being offered in the first tender are:

• Tréport (Seine-Maritime, Somme) - 110 square kilometres, maximum power of 750 MW

• Fecamp (Seine-Maritime) - 88 square kilometres, maximum power of 500 MW

• Courseulles-sur-Mer (Calvados) - 77 square kilometres, maximum power of 500 MW

• Saint-Brieuc (Côtes d'Armor) - 180 square kilometres, maximum power of 500 MW

• Saint-Nazaire (Loire-Atlantique) - 78 square kilometres, maximum power of 750 MW

View Project Report - 78000211

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