Hitachi consortium bags €4.5bn infrastructure contract from RTE

RTE has signed an agreement with Hitachi Energy's Grid Integration business and Chantiers de l'Atlantique for the construction of the first offshore direct current platforms and onshore converter stations for the Normandy and Oléron Island offshore wind farms.

French electricity transmission network manager and project owner RTE issued a call for bids and selected the Chantiers de l'Atlantique and Hitachi Energy consortium to construct the conversion stations.

The contract is valued at €4.5 billion ($4.9 billion).

According to RTE, three 1250MW offshore platforms will be built in Saint-Nazaire, Chantiers de l'Atlantiqu covering a total area of 4,600m².

The platforms will include state-of-the-art industrial facilities and a slipway equipped with gantry cranes able to lift up to 1,400 tonnes.

The high voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission systems by Chantiers de l'Atlantique and Hitachi Energy will enable the integration of more than 3.5GW of renewable energy into the RTE network.

Laurent Castaing, managing director, Chantiers de l'Atlantique, commented in a statement: "Our core business, the construction of major maritime assemblies, and our know-how, constantly consolidated by our quest for progress, enable us to meet industrial challenges. Today, we are ready for the construction and installation of the DC platforms. This project of unprecedented scale is a major shift in the long history of our shipyard."

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This contract is of an unprecedented scale for RTE and marks an acceleration in the development of offshore wind in France.

Said Xavier Piechaczyk, chairman of the Management Board, RTE, "The electricity transmission network is the backbone of the energy transition. On the road to carbon neutrality, significant investments will be made in the grid in the coming years. This contract is a major step forward, which reflects a real change of scale, especially for offshore wind power. I'm particularly pleased that this translates into the development of the manufacturing industry in France and Europe."

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The 1GW Ile d’Oléron wind farm is located off the island of Oléron, more than 35 kilometres from the coast. The 1.5GW Centre Manche 2 wind farm covers 260 square kilometres, located 40-50 kilometres east of the Manche department.

The winners of the wind farm tenders are scheduled to be announced this year, with commissioning planned for 2032.