Eoliennes en Mer des îles d’Yeu et de Noirmoutier (EMYN) has reached a final investment decision (FID) on the 496MW Îles d’Yeu and Noirmoutier offshore wind farm to be located offshore France.
EMYN is a consortium made up of Ocean Winds, a 50-50 joint venture between Spanish renewable energy company EDP Renewables and French utility ENGIE, along with Sumitomo, La Banque des Territoires, and Vendée Energie.
The French offshore wind facility entails an investment of approximately €2.5bn.
To be located 11km from Yeu island and 16km from Noirmoutier island, the Îles d’Yeu and Noirmoutier offshore wind farm is expected to produce 1,900GWh of clean energy per year.
The produced energy will be sufficient to deliver clean energy to about 800,000 people each year, said Ocean Winds.
Îles d’Yeu and Noirmoutier project will feature 62 wind turbines with each having a capacity of 8MW. The turbines will be manufactured by Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy.
With FID in place, the offshore wind project will move into the construction phase. The first offshore operations at the wind farm are expected to be carried out this summer.
Installation works at Îles d’Yeu and Noirmoutier offshore project is expected to commence in 2024 and 2025.
The offshore wind farm is anticipated to commence operation in the second half of 2025.
Construction of the Îles d’Yeu and Noirmoutier wind farm will generate 1,600 direct jobs in France and last for 2.5 years.
The financing for the offshore project is led by the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) and a group of 16 banks. It includes four Japanese banks, six French banks, one German bank, two British and Spanish banks and one Dutch bank.
ENGIE renewables, energy management and nuclear activities senior executive vice president Paulo Almirante said: “This offshore wind park will contribute to the development of the French offshore wind energy industry.
“France has an exceptional potential in terms of renewable energies, in particular thanks to its seaboards. ENGIE is strongly committed to support the country’s energy transition through responsibly conducted projects.”
In February this year, EMYN awarded two transport and installation contracts worth more than €300m for the foundations and the offshore substation for the Îles d’Yeu and Noirmoutier project to DEME.
