French construction group Eiffage has secured a contract worth over €1.5bn ($1.59bn) for the development of three electrical substations to connect offshore wind farms located off the coasts of Brittany and the Mediterranean. The agreement was signed by Smulders, the Belgian subsidiary of Eiffage Métal, with France’s electricity transmission system operator Réseau de Transport d’Électricité (RTE).
Three strategic sites selected
The installations will be deployed at the South Brittany site, off the coasts of Groix and Belle-Île-en-Mer, as well as in two areas in the Mediterranean Sea: Narbonnaise Sud-Hérault and the Gulf of Fos. Planned extensions on these latter two sites, identified as AO9, are also included in the contract’s scope.
Large-scale metal structures
The contract covers the construction of metal foundations known as “jackets” and the topsides, the upper parts of the substations housing the electrical equipment. For the South Brittany project, the jackets will measure approximately 115 metres in height, 25 metres in width and 35 metres in length. In the Mediterranean, they will reach around 110 metres in height, 45 metres in width and 50 metres in length.
Heavy engineering and industrial schedule
The topsides will each weigh nearly 5,000 tonnes, with dimensions exceeding 70 metres in length, 35 metres in width and 20 metres in height. Eiffage has not disclosed a detailed timeline for the delivery of the equipment, but the nature of the contract implies a deployment spread over several years.
Strengthened position in the European market
With this contract, Eiffage reinforces its industrial presence in the maritime electrical infrastructure sector. The group employs 84,400 people worldwide and reported revenue of €23.4bn ($24.8bn), 34% of which was generated internationally.
