Saint-Nazaire Export
OperationalOffshore GridFR480 MW225 kV60 km2022
Basic information
8 fieldsAlso Known As
Saint-Nazaire grid connection · RTE Saint-Nazaire export · Raccordement électrique du parc éolien en mer de Saint-Nazaire · Raccordement Saint-Nazaire – poste de Prinquiau
Status
operational
Capacity
480 MW
Project Company
Type
offshore grid
Transmission Model
TSO Build & Own
Supply Chain (2)
Project Timeline (8)
3 Nov 2022Maintenance Other
On 3 November 2022 it was announced that RTE had awarded Prysmian Group a 15‑year contract to provide inspection, maintenance, and repair services for the submarine export power cable links of the Saint‑Nazaire, Fécamp, and Calvados offshore wind farm grid connections. The agreement, covering 220 kV three‑core HVAC submarine cables with XLPE insulation and single‑wire armouring, entered into effect immediately for the already‑completed Saint‑Nazaire export link and will be extended to the other two links as they become operational.
21 Sept 2022Commercial Operations Full Power
By 21 September 2022, the Saint-Nazaire Export grid connection, comprising the offshore export cable system built by RTE to connect the Saint-Nazaire offshore wind farm to the French transmission grid, was already in operation. TÜV SÜD Group, acting as owner’s engineer for RTE on the export cable installation scope for three French offshore wind farms including Saint-Nazaire, reported that the export cable connection at the Saint-Nazaire site was in service, indicating that the transmission link had reached operational status.
29 Nov 2021Cable Repair
By 29 November 2021, Rotech Subsea had completed controlled flow excavation works on the Saint-Nazaire export cables, de-burying cables C1 and C2 and re-burying them to 2 metres below the seabed following jointing operations to restore the required burial depth along the export route off the Guérande peninsula.
28 Aug 2021Cable Landfall Complete
By 28 August 2021, RTE had finalised the onshore connection works between the Prinquiau substation and Plage de la Courance, completing the land cable route and associated landfall for the Saint-Nazaire export connection.
28 Aug 2021Cable Installation Complete
By 28 August 2021, RTE’s offshore export cables for the Saint-Nazaire grid connection had been deployed and were ready to be pulled into the offshore electrical substation, marking completion of the main export cable installation between the wind farm site and shore.
2 Feb 2021Procurement Other
By early February 2021, Prysmian had selected Tekmar Energy to supply its Generation 10 TekTube cable protection system (CPS) for the export cables of the Saint‑Nazaire grid connection. Under this contract, Tekmar will manufacture and deliver the CPS from its facility in North East England to protect the Saint‑Nazaire export cables, providing a robust solution for the project’s challenging seabed conditions.
9 Aug 2020Cable Installation Start
On 9 August 2020, offshore construction for RTE’s Saint-Nazaire export connection began when Prysmian deployed its cable-laying vessel Cable Enterprise and started export cable pull-in operations off Courance beach to connect the 480 MW Saint-Nazaire offshore wind farm to the French grid.
2017Cable Supplier Selected
In 2017, French transmission system operator Réseau de Transport d’Électricité (RTE) selected Prysmian to design, supply, install, test, and commission two high‑voltage export power cable links for the Saint‑Nazaire offshore wind farm grid connection, as part of a wider contract covering three French offshore wind projects. For Saint‑Nazaire, Prysmian’s scope includes approximately 33 kilometres of submarine export cable and 27 kilometres of underground onshore cable to connect the 480 MW wind farm to the French transmission grid.