RTE Seeks Cable Storage for French Offshore Wind Triplets

Réseau de Transport d’Electricité (RTE) has opened a tender seeking cable storage services for the Saint-Nazaire, Courseulles-sur-Mer and Fécamp offshore wind projects in France.

RTE is looking for a provider of storage services for the 225kV submarine power cables, and optionally junctions and accessories for the three projects.

The contractor will be in charge of unloading the delivered equipment from a vessel, storing and controlling at the site, and in case of damage, order processing and shipping.

According to RTE, the estimated storage area is 1,000m2, while the total volume for the three connections is 3,300m of submarine cable for the open sea part and 3,600m for the landing part,

The duration of the contract is 10 years, while options for renewal include two times per 5 years. The deadline for submitting applications is 15 November by 10:00 local time.

Saint-Nazaire, Courseulles-sur-Mer and Fécamp are being developed by Eolien Maritime France (EMF), a consortium of EDF Renouvelables and Enbridge, who won the competitive bidding for the projects in France’s first offshore wind call for tenders in 2012.

The 480MW Saint-Nazaire wind farm will comprise GE Haliade turbines, while the 450MW Courseulles-sur-Mer and the 500MW Fécamp will feature Siemens Gamesa turbines. All three are scheduled to be operational in 2022.