Siemens Gamesa’s manufacturing facility in Le Havre, France, has started producing both the company’s offshore Direct Drive wind turbine nacelles and IntegralBlades, making it the world’s first facility to encompass the production of both under one roof, according to Siemens Gamesa.

The first nacelles and blades produced at the new factory are headed for the Saint-Brieuc and the Fécamp offshore wind farms, which account for 993 MW of the total 2.5 GW of capacity Siemens Gamesa has in contracts in France.

Along with the 496 MW Saint-Brieuc and 497 MW Fécamp project, the wind turbine supplier will also equip the 448 MW Calvados (Courseulles-sur-Mer) offshore wind farm and the 24 MW Provence Grand Large floating offshore wind project.

Siemens Gamesa also has preferred supplier agreements for the 496 MW Yeu Noirmoutier and the 496-MW Dieppe le Tréport project.

The projects will use both Siemens Gamesa 7 MW and 8 MW offshore Direct Drive nacelles, as well as 75-metre-long B75 blades and 81-metre-long B81 blades.

As the new manufacturing facility started production, the company said that the dedicated installation hub is also under finalisation on the same plot, allowing direct load out of wind turbine components to French offshore wind power plants.

The wind turbine supplier started building its 22-hectare factory, located on the Joannès Couvert quay in the Port of Le Havre, in September 2020.

In 2021, HAROPA – Port of Le Havre started performing upgrades necessary for the establishment of the Siemens Gamesa wind turbine plant.

The Port started adaptation work on the Joannès Couvert quay in April last year to increase the quay’s handling capacity to 25 tonnes per square metre to enable the handling of wind turbine blades that are almost 100 metres long and cargo that weighs 800 tonnes.

HAROPA – Port of Le Havre also invested in building a roll-on, roll-off (RORO) platform and reinforcing the Herman du Pasquier quay to enable the handling of offshore wind turbine components.

Siemens Gamesa and HAROPA-Port of Le Havre have a 30-year contract under which the turbine maker will utilise a total area of ​​36 hectares between the Joannès Couvert and Hermann du Pasquier quays.

“Producing our first offshore wind power components in Le Havre is electrifying. This investment serves as a major driver of the economic growth story in Normandy and in the French offshore wind industry. With the world’s first offshore nacelle and blade factory under one roof, we can unlock the power of wind for our customers and the people of France”, said Marc Becker, CEO of the Siemens Gamesa Offshore Business Unit.

The first 500 positions out of the 750 total direct and indirect jobs to be created in the Le Havre factory have been filled. The remaining 250 positions are expected to be filled between the end of this year and early 2023, according to Siemens Gamesa.

Source: offshorewind.biz