It includes the construction and assembly of 62 ‘jackets’ and their corresponding piles for this large installation that the company is developing in the waters of French Brittany and that will provide wind power to one million people.
The agreement will directly employ around 1,000 professionals in Galicia and Asturias and over 1,100 in France, where Navantia-Windar will open a factory for the first time to complete the wind project.
The contract was signed this morning in Fene by the President of Iberdrola, Ignacio Galán, the President of Navantia, Susana de Sarriá and the President of Windar, Orlando Alonso, in the presence of the President of the Xunta de Galicia, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, and from the Government delegate in Galicia, Javier Losada
Iberdrola, through its subsidiary Ailes Marines, has awarded the joint venture Navantia-Windar the construction of 62 jackets – platforms that support offshore wind turbines – and the piles needed for the Saint-Brieuc offshore wind farm, which the energy company is developing in the waters of French Brittany.
The contract, whose total amount amounts to 350 million euros, represents the largest in the history of Navantia-Windar in the offshore wind sector and was signed this morning at the Navantia shipyard in Fene (A Coruña) by the president Iberdrola, Ignacio Galán, the President of Navantia, Susana de Sarriá and the President of Windar, Orlando Alonso, in the presence of the President of the Xunta de Galicia, Alberto Núñez Feijóo and the Government delegate in Galicia, Javier Losada.
Specifically, the agreement includes the manufacture of the jackets by Navantia at its facilities in Fene and the piles by Windar at its headquarters in Avilés. The final assembly of all the subsets will be carried out in the facilities of the Galician shipyards.
With this historic award, a relationship of more than six years between Iberdrola and Navantia-Windar is consolidated, which adds contracts for a value close to 1,000 million euros, including the orders already completed for the Wikinger offshore wind farms, in German waters of the sea Baltic, and East Anglia One, in the United Kingdom.
In this way, as the President of Iberdrola recalled in his speech, Navantia-Windar’s capacity to take advantage of the opportunities offered by a future market such as offshore wind power is consolidated, where Iberdrola is advancing towards global leadership .
In this sense, Ignacio Galán has pointed out that, with this contract, in addition to advancing in clean energy such as offshore wind, “we demonstrate that the green economy is a great pole of industrialization and sustainable and quality employment, now that the revitalization activity is more important than ever. ” In addition, added Galán, “Europe is confirmed as a great common project for the benefit of all. A united and solid Europe, in which Galician, Asturian and Basque companies can make very relevant contributions to infrastructures such as this Saint-Brieuc offshore wind farm ”.
For her part, the President of Navantia, Susana de Sarriá, has highlighted the numerous challenges of this sector, which is so dynamic and that continues to grow and open new perspectives, and in which. Navantia and Windar hope to continue accompanying Iberdrola offering the best service and promoting industrialization in the areas where we are established.
Direct employment for more than 2,000 professionals in Galicia, Asturias and France
The contract signed today between Iberdrola and Navantia-Windar will directly employ more than 2,000 professionals.
Of these, almost 1,000 correspond to jobs generated in Navantia-Windar in Galicia and Asturias, and more than 1,100, distributed among various companies in France. Specifically, to the port of Brest, Le Havre and the future base of operations (still to be decided). A novelty of this contract is that Navantia-Windar will open a plant in Brest, where the stabbings, lower knots, and the lattice structure for 34 of the park’s 62 jackets will be manufactured.
To these more than 2,000 direct jobs will be added the several thousand jobs that will be generated in local contractors, both in Spain and in France.
This new agreement has therefore a strong European character, since it unites the experience and knowledge of Spanish and French professionals and endorses the path of green recovery and sustainable growth marked by the European Union.
Projects such as that of Saint-Brieuc demonstrate that the commitment to a green recovery, which accelerates the energy transition towards a low-carbon economy, is an engine of prosperity and sustainable growth.
Saint-Brieuc offshore wind farm
The Saint-Brieuc offshore wind farm will have a capacity of about 500 MW and will be able to generate enough clean energy to satisfy the electricity consumption of nearly a million people. Located in the waters of French Brittany, in an area of approximately 78 km2, the facility plans to start operations in 2023.
To do this, Iberdrola will invest 2,400 million euros. This new installation demonstrates Iberdrola’s commitment to the French market, in which the company plans to invest up to 4,000 million euros in the next four years.
