Au revoir Vole au Vent .... Bienvenue Offshore Wind

On Thursday, September 1st, 2022, we completed the last load-out of #EDF´s HAL150 turbines onto Vole Au Vent wind installation vessel; as it prepared to take the turbine sets to their home at Banc de Guerande, off the coast of Saint Nazaire, France.

The 80 wind turbine project is expected to add a much-needed 480MW to the French grid, which is currently relying on imported electricity to meet the surging demand. The constrained supply has already led to the French wholesale electricity prices hitting a record €1130 per MWh last week.

This 1st #offshorewind project in France is a result of over 10 years of determined and committed effort by EDF, GE, the French State, and partners who overcame several obstacles to make it a reality today. It is also a case study of how sometimes non-project-related challenges sometimes make it hard to deliver fast reliable clean carbon-free electricity across Europe.

The successful execution of this project is a moment decisif (watershed moment) for GE Offshore Wind. We have invested in France, building a nacelle assembly plant in Montoir, a blade plant in Cherbourg, and an R&D, engineering, supply chain, and service hub in Nantes. All these investments are paying off as we build the world's largest wind turbine Haliade-X for our customers across the world.

Successfully completing this HAL150 project, however, was a test for us and our teams to prove that we can execute well. And, I am really proud of what we have achieved!

The project is on track to be completed on schedule with all the 80 turbines, towers, and blades loaded onto Vole Au Vent in less than 5 months. This means an average loading, sailing, and installation time of fewer than 2 days per wind turbine setting a new industry benchmark.

The success has been made possible because of the huge amount of preparation done by GE, EDF, and our partners working together as a team. This team ensured that the project was planned well and executed flawlessly despite COVID-19 which hit us at the start and stayed with us for most of the duration.

As I waved goodbye to Vol au Vent this week, a glance behind presented an eerie site. The thousands and thousands of meters of the marshaling harbor lay empty that at one time was overflowing with materials and bustling with people, activity, and energy. It looked like a ghost town with a lone worker clearing some blocks. I momentarily felt a twinge of sadness, soon overcome by the joy of.... a job well done!

Au revoir Vole au Vent .... bienvenue Offshore Wind!