Areva has chosen Schneider Electric as its preferred supplier of power equipment for its offshore wind projects in France.
Under the terms of the agreement, Schneider Electric will supply transformers and circuit breakers for Areva’s wind farms. Schneider will manufacture the components at two of its French industrial sites, located near Metz and Grenoble.
Schneider will work with Areva on the project to supply 100x5MW M5000 wind turbines for the Saint-Brieuc wind farm off the coast of Brittany, which is being developed by a consortium led by Iberdrola and EOLE-RES for start-up around 2019.
The agreement will also cover current tenders for the offshore wind farms at Le Tréport off the coast of Haute-Normandie and the islands of Yeu and Noirmoutier in Pays de la Loire.
The French government’s plans for developing renewable energy call for 6000 MW of capacity, or 1200 offshore wind turbines to be built and installed off the French coast by 2020.
Areva has been active in the offshore wind sector since 2004. The company says it has received turbine orders for equivalent of 600 MW and that it expects to have an installed base of more than 120 wind turbines by the end of 2014.
