Energy and marine consultancy ABL has been appointed as the marine warranty surveyor (MWS) for the transportation and installation (T&I) operations of the Centre Manche 1 and Centre Manche 2 offshore grid connection projects in Normandy, France. These projects are integral to the Appel d'Offre 4 (AO4) and Appel d'Offre 8 (AO8) offshore wind initiatives, aimed at supporting the French government's target of allocating 1 gigawatt (GW) of offshore wind energy annually from 2023 onward.
Centre Manche 1 will link the AO4 offshore wind farm, with a capacity of 1,050 MW, and a segment of AO8, contributing an additional 200 MW, to the 400 kV substation at Menuel via a 100 km long direct current (DC) export cable. Centre Manche 2 will connect the AO8 offshore wind farm to the Tourbe substation through a 105 km long DC cable. Each offshore substation will have a capacity of 1.25 GW.
ABL will oversee the T&I campaign for both offshore substations, which are expected to weigh approximately 13,300 tonnes each, along with jackets weighing around 7,000 tonnes each. The consultancy's responsibilities include the technical review and approval of T&I engineering documentation, participation in HAZID/HAZOP meetings, suitability surveys of installation vessels, and onshore and offshore attendance to oversee marine operations and issue approval certificates.
Hugues Delanoue, ABL's regional managing director for Europe and West Africa, expressed pride in the company's selection for this project, emphasizing ABL's technical reputation within the French offshore wind market. With experience from over 330 offshore wind projects globally, ABL's in-house team of marine and engineering consultants is well-equipped to deliver on these initiatives.
Work is set to commence in the third quarter of 2024 and will continue until project delivery in 2032.
