DEME Wins French Floater Export Cable Gig

DEME’s French subsidiary has won a contract for the export cable for the 30MW Leucate floating offshore wind farm, off France.

French grid operator Reseau de Transport d'Electricite (RTE) awarded DEME subsidiary SDI, in a consortium with JDR, the EPCI contract.

The export cable will include a submarine cable and an onshore cable section, connecting into the onshore substation near Le Barcares. Construction activities are set to start in 2022.

Leucate is being developed by Les Eoliennes Flottantes du Golfe du Lion (EFGL), a consortium comprising Ocean Winds and Caisse de Depots, and is located 16 km off the south-east coast of France in the Mediterranean Sea.

Philip Scheers, business unit director at DEME Offshore, said: “We are delighted to be awarded this important EPCI contract for one of the first floating wind farms in the world.

“By combining RTE’s experience in grid connections, including export cables, with our extensive track record and expertise in the offshore wind sector and subsea operations, and JDR’s experience in static and dynamic cable manufacturing, the consortium partners are confident we will make this pioneering project a success – really putting the French floating offshore wind industry on the map.”

RTE procurement director Gilles Etheimer added: “RTE appreciates the professionalism of SDI (DEME) and JDR when it comes to global performance when addressing the project specific issues, and their proactive approach and willingness to integrate the benefits of new technological developments within their solutions.

“RTE is convinced that a high level of collaboration between the two consortium members is key for the project success.”

Large-scale commercial wind farms of 250MW and more are currently in the planning phase in France.