The offshore grid connection project "Offshore Wind connection Centre Manche 1" was listed by ENTSO-E as a TYNDP 2026 project, appearing in the Identification of System Needs Methodology for Public Consultation among the offshore wind connection projects included in the starting grid.
SLPE was awarded a contract to carry out detailed structural and geotechnical foundation design for the HVDC offshore substation jackets serving the Centre Manche 1 and Centre Manche 2 offshore grid connections. Working for RTE via Chantiers de l’Atlantique, SLPE will undertake a comprehensive 2.5‑year design phase for jacket structures of around 7,000 tonnes each to support 1.25 GW HVDC converter platforms ahead of jacket fabrication by Smulders and Eiffage Métal from 2026 and planned installation at the Centre Manche 1 site in 2029.
Chantiers de l’Atlantique awarded Smulders, through its subsidiary Iemants and in collaboration with Eiffage Métal, an EPC contract for two jackets that will support the offshore HVDC converter stations for the Centre Manche 1 and Centre Manche 2 grid connections in France. The work, to be executed from Smulders’ Belgian facilities with final assembly in Vlissingen, will deliver jacket foundations of about 7,000 tonnes each for 1.25 GW converter platforms, with construction planned to start in 2026 and offshore installation of the Centre Manche 1 jacket scheduled for 2029.
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Centre Manche 1 is a point-to-point HVDC transmission link being developed by the French TSO RTE to export offshore wind power from the AO4/AO8 cluster in the English Channel to the onshore 400 kV Menuel substation in Normandy. The link is specified as a ±320 kV Voltage-Sourced Converter (VSC) HV...
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Centre Manche 1 grid connection, Offshore Wind Connection Centre Manche 1, CM1 HVDC, Centre Manche 1 RTE HVDC, Centre Manche 1 ±320 kV
Energy and marine consultancy ABL was appointed as marine warranty surveyor for the Centre Manche 1 and Centre Manche 2 grid connection systems offshore Normandy. Under a contract starting in the third quarter of 2024 and running through to project delivery in 2032, ABL will provide marine warranty services for transportation and installation of the offshore substations, the approximately 100 km DC export cable for Centre Manche 1, and three 2 km inter-station links, including engineering document review, vessel suitability surveys, attendance during operations, and issuance of approvals.
RTE awarded contract CXY24C5001 to a consortium of Hitachi Energy AB, Hitachi France, and Chantiers de l’Atlantique for the design, engineering, procurement, construction, installation, and commissioning of the onshore and offshore HVDC converter stations for the Centre Manche 1, Centre Manche 2, and Oléron offshore wind grid connections. The decision on the winning tender was taken on 6 February 2024, with a total contract value of EUR 4.5 billion for the three projects, and Hitachi Energy selected to supply the ±320 kV, 1,250 MW HVDC Light converter systems for Centre Manche 1’s offshore and onshore stations at Menuel.
On 6 February 2024, RTE selected the consortium of Hitachi Energy AB, Hitachi France, and Chantiers de l’Atlantique for an EPCIC contract covering one HVDC offshore substation (platform with jacket and topside) and one HVDC onshore substation for each of the Centre Manche 1, Centre Manche 2, and Oléron offshore wind grid connections. Under this EUR 4.5 billion contract, Chantiers de l’Atlantique will deliver the offshore platforms and onshore substation works, providing the HVDC grid connection infrastructure that links the Centre Manche 1 wind capacity to the Menuel 400 kV node.
RTE, the French transmission system operator, issued a procurement process for the EPCIC turnkey delivery of HVDC converter stations and associated offshore platforms for the Centre Manche 1 and Centre Manche 2 offshore wind grid connections, using ±320 kV HVDC technology and up to 1.25 GW per connection. A corrigendum dated 11 January 2023 confirms the tender for engineering, procurement, construction, installation, commissioning, and maintenance of four HVDC converter stations and two connected platforms to link the AO4 and AO8 offshore wind farms to the French grid.
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