Iberdrola inaugurated this morning the Saint-Brieuc wind farm in Brittany, France, one of the first two in the country.with a capacity of 496 MW and an annual production of 2 million megawatt hours (MWh). This will provide secure, local and emission-free energy to nearly one million people.
With an investment of 2.4 billion euros, the project began its development in 2012 and entered into full operation in 2024 after three years of construction. It is made up of 62 turbines of 8 MW each, the most powerful installed in France to date.
The construction work generated more than 1,700 jobs, including 500 local jobs, and benefited from the participation of leading companies such as Siemens-Gamesa (responsible for manufacturing the wind turbines), the Navantia Windar consortium (foundations and transition pieces), Haizea (towers), Prysmian (cabling) or Van Oord (installation). In total, more than 150 European companies participated, including 60 Spanish ones.
The Saint Brieuc wind farm also represents a strong boost for the offshore wind industry in France, since for its construction a new wind turbine factory was launched in Le Havre, by Siemens Gamesa, and another in Brest, by Navantia-Windar, dedicated to foundations.
The Saint Brieuc wind farm demonstrated Iberdrola’s capabilities in offshore wind technology, both in finding technical solutions to the challenges posed by the hardness of the seabed (composed of basalt rocks) and the high tides in the area, and in mobilizing the supply chain.
Saint Brieuc is Iberdrola’s fourth offshore wind farm in operationafter those of West of Duddon Sands (United Kingdom), located in the Irish Sea; Wikinger (Germany), on the Baltic Sea and East Anglia One (UK), one of the largest offshore wind farms in the world, located in the North Sea.
In addition, the company has four other wind farms under construction: Baltic Eagle in Germany and Vineyard Wind One (which will be the first large-scale wind farm in the United States) will come online in 2025; and in 2026, East Anglia Three (UK) and Windanker (Germany) will be commissioned.
Investments in operating and construction parks already amount to 15 billion euros. In addition, last month, Iberdrola has won two new projects: East Anglia Two, in the United Kingdom; and New England Wind 1, in the state of Massachusetts (United States).
Once completed, the group’s total investment in offshore wind will exceed 25 billion euros.
Finally, the company has obtained rights to the seabed for future parks in the United Kingdom, continental Europe, the United States, Australia and Japan.
In France
In addition to this new offshore wind farm, Iberdrola operates 11 onshore wind projects in France and has a portfolio of wind and photovoltaic projects at different stages of development. The company has offices in Paris, Lyon, Nantes, Nancy, Bordeaux, Limoges and Marseille.as well as operating and maintenance facilities for its various assets, such as that of Saint Brieuc.
