PARIS, Feb. 22, 2021 /CNW/ - EDF Renewables, a
subsidiary of the EDF Group, EIH S.à r.l, a subsidiary of Enbridge
Inc. (TSX: ENB) (NYSE: ENB), a North American energy infrastructure
company, and wpd, a European renewable energies company, are
announcing the launch of construction activity on the Calvados
offshore wind farm (Courseulles-sur-Mer). This announcement follows
the finalisation of financing agreements between the consortium and
its financial partners.
The 448-MW Calvados offshore wind project is comprised of 64
wind turbines located more than 10km from the Bessin coastline and
occupies a total surface area of approximately 45km². Upon its
commissioning, scheduled in 2024, it will generate the equivalent
of the annual electricity consumption of 630,000 people, or over
90% of the Calvados French department's population.
The total project cost is estimated at around €2 billion.
The majority will be financed through non-recourse project finance
debt. The Calvados offshore wind farm holds a 20-year power
purchase agreement (PPA) granted by the French government in
June 2018.
The three and a half-year construction project will create over
1,000 direct jobs in Normandy and will contribute to the
development of the French's offshore wind industry.
The project's wind turbines will be manufactured in Le Havre at Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy's
Quai Joannes Couvert plant, which is
currently under construction. Upon commissioning scheduled in the
first half of 2022, a total of 750 direct and indirect jobs will
have been created. The plant will also manufacture the 71 wind
turbines for the Fécamp offshore wind farm awarded to the same
consortium, which construction began in June 2020. The wind
turbines will be assembled at the Port of Le Havre, then shipped to the installation site.
Offshore construction activity is due to commence in 2022.
RTE, which is responsible for connecting the wind farm
from the offshore sub-station to Normandy's electricity grid, will
commence its onshore work in March 2021.
The consortium has now signed its main supply agreements with
top-tier providers, including:
- Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy (SGRE) for the 64
7-MW wind turbines;
- Saipem for the monopile foundations;
- Prysmian Group for the sub-sea cables connecting the
wind turbines to the offshore substation;
- Chantiers de l'Atlantique, plus GE Grid Solutions
and SDI for the offshore sub-station.
During its service life, maintenance of the wind farm will
create approximately 100 sustainable local jobs based at the port
of Caen-Ouistreham.
This project is supported by an extensive public consultation
carried out over 10 years with local stakeholders (government
entities, elected officials in the Normandy region, coastline
communities, local residents' associations). In-depth environmental
studies have been conducted by specialist engineering offices, in
tandem with local nature and environmental protection associations.
A close and continuous dialogue has also been established with the
fishing industry to ensure the coexistence of various maritime
users, especially scallop fishermen. Lastly, to reflect the site's
history and our collective duty of remembrance, a working group has
been set up with members representing the ONAC-VG (National Office
for Veterans and Victims of War) and the University of Caen, owing
to the project's proximity to the D-Day landing beaches.
All the project partners possess considerable experience in
offshore wind farms and in the delivery of large-scale industrial
projects:
- EDF Renewables, which owns 42.5% of the project via
Eolien Maritime France, brings its expertise in the development,
construction and operation of renewable energy projects, including
in the offshore wind sector. The company has a portfolio of 6.5 GW
of offshore wind assets and wind projects at various stages,
operation, construction and development in Belgium, the UK, Germany, Ireland, the US and China.
- EIH S.à r.l., which owns 42.5% of the project via Eolien
Maritime France, is a subsidiary of Enbridge Inc., a leading North
American energy infrastructure company, with substantial renewable
energy investments across North
America and investments in several major European offshore
wind projects. In total, Enbridge has 5.1 GW of gross renewable
energy capacity in construction and operation, and another 3.3 GW
of gross renewable energy capacity in various stages of
development.
- wpd, which owns 15% of the project, is a pioneer and a
leading player in the offshore wind industry. The group has
commissioned three wind farms in Germany, and recently gave the final go-ahead
to invest in a 640 MW project in Taiwan. The company has a portfolio of 7.4 GW
in offshore wind energy projects under development in Europe and Asia.
Bruno Bensasson, EDF Group
Senior Executive Vice-President Renewable Energies and Chairman and
Chief Executive Officer of EDF Renewables, commented: "We
are thrilled to announce today that, together with our partners
Enbridge and wpd, we are launching construction of the offshore
wind Calvados (Courseulles-sur-Mer) project. The Saint-Nazaire, Fécamp and Calvados offshore
wind farm projects awarded to EDF Renewables in the French
government's first call for tenders in 2012 are coming to fruition,
with construction now underway. Everything is coming together for
our teams and all the local stakeholders who have worked with such
passion, determination and expertise to help bring about a major
step forward for the local economy's environmental and social
transitions. In all, these three projects will provide employment
for 7,000 people. Once the wind farms are in service, 300
sustainable jobs will be created, and they will generate sufficient
electricity every year to cover the needs of 2 million people. In
parallel, we continue to progress the development of the Dunkerque
wind farm, the fourth projects awarded to us of the seven
attributed by the French government. The EDF Group, a leading
player in the French offshore wind segment, is proud to be playing
its part in establishing this industry in France. Offshore wind energy is an integral
part of EDF's strategy, which has recently been enhanced and now
aims to more than double its net renewable energy capacity
worldwide from 28 to 60 GW between 2015 and 2030."
Matthew Akman, Senior Vice
President, Strategy and Power, Enbridge added: "We are
pleased to have reached a final investment decision on our third
offshore wind farm in France, and
for construction to formally commence on the Calvados
(Courseulles-sur-Mer) project. Over the past several years, we have
firmly established Enbridge as a competitive player in offshore
wind in Europe and developed an
extensive portfolio of projects. Enbridge is investing in renewable
power projects that support the transition to a lower-carbon
economy and are aligned with our low-risk investment approach. The
Calvados project is another proud achievement for us and our
partners, EDF Renewables and wpd."
Achim Berge Olsen, Executive
Director of the wpd AG Group and Chairman and CEO of wpd offshore
France commented:
"We are very proud that this next step in the
Courseulles-sur-Mer project has taken place, after a long work
undertaken by our teams in 2008 in Normandy. Beyond the industrial
opportunities created by this project, the Calvados park anchors
the sustainability of offshore wind in the French energy mix. It
also paves the way for future projects that will emerge off the
French coast in the coming years, for which wpd intends to continue
to play a major role."
For more information:
http://parc-eolien-en-mer-du-calvados.fr/
PRESS CONTACTS
EDF Renewables:
Manon de Cassini-Hérail ▪ mobile: +33 (0)1 40 90 48 22 ▪
email: manon.decassini-herail@edf-re.fr
Enbridge:
Mandy Dinning ▪ email:
media@enbridge.com
wpd:
Alison Aguilé ▪ email: a.aguile@wpd.fr
About EDF Renewables
EDF Renewables is a leading
international player in renewable energies, with gross installed
capacity of 13.8 GW worldwide. Its development is mainly focused on
wind and solar photovoltaic power. EDF Renewables operates mostly
in Europe and North America but is continuing to grow by
moving into promising emerging regions such as Brazil, China, India,
South Africa and the Middle East. The company has strong positions
in offshore wind power, but also in other areas of the renewable
energies industry such as energy storage. EDF Renewables develops,
builds, operates and maintains renewable energies projects, both
for itself and for third parties. EDF Renewables is the EDF Group
subsidiary specialising in developing solar and wind power.
For more information, visit: www.edf-renewables.com
Follow us on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/edf-renewables and on
Twitter (@EDF_RE in French and @EDF_Renewables in English).
About Enbridge
Enbridge Inc. is a leading North
American energy infrastructure company. We safely and reliably
deliver the energy people need and want to fuel quality of life.
Our core businesses include Liquids Pipelines, which transports
approximately 25 percent of the crude oil produced in North
America; Gas Transmission and Midstream, which transports
approximately 20 percent of the natural gas consumed in the U.S.;
Gas Distribution and Storage, which serves approximately 3.8
million retail customers in Ontario and Quebec; and
Renewable Power Generation, which currently generates approximately
1,750 MW of net renewable power in North
America and Europe. The Company's common shares trade on
the Toronto and New York stock exchanges under
the symbol ENB. For more information,
visit www.enbridge.com
About wpd AG
wpd AG develops and
operates onshore and offshore wind farms and solar farms, and is
actively engaged in 25 countries around the world; the head office
is in Bremen. The German company
has already realized wind energy projects with around 2,270 wind
turbines and an output of 4,720 MW, and is planning further
projects with a total of 11,300 MW onshore, 7,400 MW offshore and
1,150 MWp solar energy.
www.wpd.de
Enbridge's Forward-Looking
Information
Forward-looking information, or
forward-looking statements, have been included in this news release
to provide information about Enbridge and its subsidiaries and
affiliates, including management's assessment of Enbridge and its
subsidiaries and affiliates' future plans and operations. This
information may not be appropriate for other purposes.
Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such
as ''anticipate'', ''expect'', ''project'', ''estimate'',
''forecast'', ''plan'', ''intend'', ''target'', ''believe'',
"likely" and similar words suggesting future outcomes or statements
regarding an outlook. Forward-looking information or
statements included in this news release include, but are not
limited to, statements with respect to the Calvados
offshore wind project (the "Project"), including its
expected benefits, anticipated employment, anticipated costs,
construction and commissioning dates, and its expected power
generation capacity.
Although Enbridge believes these forward-looking statements
are reasonable based on the information available on the date such
statements are made and processes used to prepare the information,
such statements are not guarantees of future performance and
readers are cautioned against placing undue reliance on
forward-looking statements. By their nature, these statements
involve a variety of assumptions, known and unknown risks and
uncertainties and other factors, which may cause actual results,
levels of activity and achievements to differ materially from those
expressed or implied by such statements. Assumptions regarding the
expected supply of and demand for energy, and the prices thereof,
are material to and underlie all forward-looking statements, as
they may impact current and future levels of demand for Enbridge's
services and for the Project. Similarly, exchange rates, inflation,
interest rates and the COVID-19 pandemic impact the economies and
business environments in which Enbridge operates and may impact
levels of demand for Enbridge's services and the Project as well as
the cost of inputs and are therefore inherent in all
forward-looking statements. Due to the interdependencies and
correlation of these macroeconomic factors, the impact of any one
assumption on a forward-looking statement cannot be determined with
certainty. The most relevant assumptions associated with
forward-looking statements on announced projects and projects under
construction such as the Project, including estimated completion
dates and expected capital expenditures, include the following: the
COVID-19 pandemic and the duration and impact thereof; the impact
of customer, government and regulatory approvals on construction
and in-service schedules and cost recovery regimes; the
availability and price of labour and construction materials; the
effects of inflation and foreign exchange rates on labour and
material costs; the effects of interest rates on borrowing costs;
the impact of weather; and the ability of our joint venture
partners to complete and finance proposed projects, including the
Project.
Enbridge's forward-looking statements are subject to risks
and uncertainties, including, but not limited to those risks and
uncertainties discussed in this press release and in Enbridge's
other filings with Canadian and United States securities
regulators. The impact of any one risk, uncertainty or factor on a
particular forward-looking statement is not determinable with
certainty as these are interdependent and Enbridge's future course
of action depends on management's assessment of all information
available at the relevant time. Except to the extent required by
applicable law, Enbridge assumes no obligation to publicly update
or revise any forward-looking statements made in this news release
or otherwise, whether as a result of new information, future events
or otherwise. All subsequent forward-looking statements, whether
written or oral, attributable to Enbridge or persons acting on
Enbridge's behalf, are expressly qualified in their entirety by
these cautionary statements.
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SOURCE Enbridge Inc.