Ailes Marine, the consortium developing the Saint-Brieuc offshore windfarm in France, has temporarily halted foundation installation work on the project after a technical issue
Van Oord’s installation vessel Aeolus is responsible for drilling and installing the pin piles for the foundations for the windfarm.
Van Oord started work offshore earlier in 2021, installing the pin piles from Aeolus. The vessel is due to be assisted by a second vessel in 2022 when installation of the jacket-type foundations begins.
The Van Oord vessel has been using a subsea drilling template to install the piles. The template was designed by TWD and built by Ijmuiden-based Breman Offshore.
Ailes Marine said a decision to stop work was taken following a technical problem when the vessel was working on the second of a series of boreholes. The problem resulted in release of hydraulic fluid.
Ailes Marine said the fluid, Panolin HLP SYNTH, was developed specifically for use at sea and is biodegradable. It is widely used in underwater applications.
The developer said it takes all matters relating to the environment very seriously and work was immediately halted pending inspection of the drilling template that is understood to be the source of the leak.
“Once the inspection is completed, Aeolus will return to its home port for a complete technical check of the vessel and tools,” the developer stated. Ailes Marines is collaborating with the maritime authorities.
The 496-MW Saint-Brieuc project is being built by the Iberdrola-led consortium in a 75 km² area and will use 62 Siemens Gamesa SG 8.0-167 DD wind turbines.
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