500 MW of wind power for the domestic consumption of around 770.000 people. Saipem crosses the finish line of a new offshore park in Normandy, in Fécamp. Work started two years ago. Works in record time by the Italian company united in a consortium with the French company Bouygues Travaux Publics and Dutch Boskalis . Saipem's announcement took place with the completion of the ballast of the GBS foundations: Gravity-Based Structures. The synergy with foreign partners involved the design, construction and installation of the impressive support structures. 71 were built and each has a weight of about 5 thousand tons with a height varying between 48 and 54 meters. Despite the accelerated schedule, finishing and inspection work and the laying of stones around the foundations still need to be done. In the latter work Boskalis specializes.
Offshore wind is in Europe's future.
The milestone in the development of offshore wind energy in a particularly favorable area demonstrates how even a country like France, which has based its energy strength on nuclear power, is moving towards the European objectives on renewables. The so-called EPCI (Engineering, Procurement, Construction and Installation) are also gaining ground both in the field of fixed and floating installations. This confirms - says a note from Saipem -the company's industrial focus on energy transition and its commitment to the path towards a sustainable future. The Society chaired by Silvia Merlo it is present in about 70 countries and has recently increased its revenues based on offshore construction. According to the Forecasts will close 2022 with 9 billion euros in revenues. The Bouygues group is also a leader in 60 countries in the construction of cutting-edge infrastructure and technological solutions. On a strictly energy level, wind energy remains firmly in the EU's plans. Last February the European Commission for Industry, Research and Energy in a resolution highlighted how the cost of offshore wind has fallen by about 50% in the last twenty years and how it is now one of the most competitive sources of energy. However, offshore wind farms must be designed and built in a sustainable way to protect marine biodiversity. The work done in Fécamp should represent respect for this environmental requirement.
